Cookbook Challenge: Week 43, Crunchy
Recipe: Salt and vinegar baked chips
Inspired from: Donna Hay, Simple Essentials: Salads and Vegetables
The theme for the Cookbook Challenge this week is “crunchy” and initially I thought I would do a salad of some sort. But despite the fact that it’s slowly warming up in Melbourne, it’s still not quite salad weather. Any kind of weather is potato weather though – so I settled on a recipe for baked chips.
I didn’t bother following the recipe in the book, because the original recipe just said to peel and cut the potatoes and then put them straight into the oven. But if you want crunchy baked edges on your potatoes, that is definitely not going to work. I have finally mastered the perfect roast potato this year, so I used my usual method, and cut the potatoes into chips rather than the usual chunks.
Do you want to know how to make a perfect roast potato that’s crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside? Here we go. First, you need to parboil your potatoes in salted water. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to every litre of water. Don’t worry, you won’t be able to taste the vinegar. It just helps the potatoes keep their shape and stops them from collapsing into mush.
(By the way, if I had planned ahead, I would have left the skin on the potatoes but I only thought about it after I peeled all of them!)
While the potatoes are parboiling, splash a couple of tablespoons of oil on a metal tray, and pop it into the oven to heat up. I’ve found that this is the step that’s particularly important for crisp potatoes. When the potatoes are soft, drain them and (carefully) tip them on to the hot oil. If it sizzles, it’s going to be good! (Side note: I didn’t do it for the chips, but for normal potatoes, after draining, give them a shake in the pot before tipping them on the tray to rough up the edges for extra crunch.) Pop them in the oven, and don’t forget to turn them halfway through cooking.
Pretty simple, huh? I used to struggle to do a good roast potato, but ever since I started following this method it’s been perfection every time. The only downside is that it does make the house smell like oil (and I set the smoke alarm off twice making the chips!) but one bite of the crunchy potato and it’s all forgotten. My chips may not be that pretty but they tasted great – crisp, yet still fluffy inside. The three of us ate ALL of them in one go – and yes, I made the full amount listed in the recipe below. Gulp. At least it was probably a bit healthier than fried chips… right?
See previous Cookbook Challenge posts here.
Salt and vinegar baked chips
Inspired by: Donna Hay, Simple Essentials: Salads and Vegetables
Serves 4-6 (or 3 hungry people)
2 tablespoons oil
1.5k floury potatoes, washed, peeled (optional) and cut into chips
2 tablespoons vinegar
sea salt and cracked black pepper
A handful of chopped spring onions
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup malt vinegar
Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the oil on to a metal tray and pop it into the oven to heat up.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes and vinegar into a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes. Add a heaped teaspoon of salt and bring the water up to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook the potatoes until just soft.
Drain the potatoes. Take the hot tray out of the oven and carefully tip the potatoes on to the tray. Season well with salt and pepper and using tongs, turn the potatoes to coat them in the oil.
Put the tray back into the oven and roast for about 50 minutes, or until they are golden and crispy. Turn the potatoes halfway through cooking.
Combine the spring onions, sugar and vinegar in a jar and shake to combine. Serve the hot chips with the vinegar mixture on the side.
penny aka jeroxie
September 12, 2010 @ 10:01 pm
That is how you do it… Now I am craving fish & chips!
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:15 pm
Ah it’s been ages since I ate fish and chips! Now you’ve made me want them! :p
Hannah
September 12, 2010 @ 10:47 pm
Ooooh, I *love* vinegar with chips/potato! And thank you for passing on your hard-earned perfect RP knowledge – I use to make baked wedges a fair bit but they were always a little soggy. Must’ve been the failure to heat the oil in advance! Oh wise BFF, you awe me.
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:15 pm
Take the knowledge and use it carefully, grasshopper.
Hannah
September 16, 2010 @ 10:28 pm
Squee! Agnes, I’ve used that grasshopper bit on countless people over recent years and NO ONE has ever understood the reference. I feel sad about all the wasted years when we didn’t know we were BFFs.
Allan aka almostalwaysravenous
September 12, 2010 @ 11:24 pm
oooo yummie. now to remember to use this method next time i make baked potatos. =)
Megan
September 13, 2010 @ 1:25 am
Yummm, those look delicious! I used to make oven wedges using a similar method, except that my potatoes were microwaved first (faster than boiling, and I’m always hungry!) and then coated lightly in cajun seasoning. But nothing beats good old fashioned salt & vinegar… my mouth is watering.
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:18 pm
YUM wedges with cajun seasoning! That sounds fabulous 😀
Toby
September 13, 2010 @ 2:21 am
Pretty?! Chips shouldn’t look pretty – they should look like THESE!! MMMMN!!
A little trick I found is to wash your chips before boiling to remove the starch as this can cause them to discolour in the frying – I know it says ‘washed’ in the ingredients list, but it’s worth doing it again after cutting.
nom nom NOM!! x
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Thanks for the tip on washing the potatoes, Toby!
Pretty. Good. Food.
September 13, 2010 @ 7:11 am
Mmmm, sounds and looks delicious!
leaf @ theindolentcook
September 13, 2010 @ 9:09 am
Mmm, I love salt and vinegar chips. Thanks for sharing!
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:20 pm
Glad you enjoyed the post 😀
Celeste @ Berrytravels
September 13, 2010 @ 11:32 pm
Ah, I tried using this method to do chips for the last cookoff challenge… really didn’t like it! I think I prefer my chips fried normally.
Thanks for the tip on the vinegar in water while parboiling tho. Didn’t know that!
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:21 pm
Oh I must admit I prefer my chips fried too 😉
Conor @ HoldtheBeef
September 14, 2010 @ 12:22 am
Great minds! This is how I do my spuds, but I haven’t used the technique with chips before. I am very approving of your take on ‘crunch’ as the first thing that comes to mind is salad or something equally as un-chiplike. Yum. Crunch.
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:22 pm
Salad. PISH to that I say.
Maria@TheGourmetChallenge
September 15, 2010 @ 5:01 pm
How cool. I usually cook my potatoes this way too…except the all important vinegar step!! I did not know that!!! I’ve learnt my one thing for the day.
Guess what yesterday’s was??? One of my workmates is gay!! Pretty cool huh!
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:24 pm
HAHA oh Mazza. Was the news about your workmate a surprise??
Gourmet Getaways
September 16, 2010 @ 6:55 pm
These look fantastic!!! I rarely get crunchy roast potatoes so I will be trying this method next time. Thanks 🙂
Agnes
September 16, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
Good luck with it! 😀 Let me know how you go.
Peggy
September 16, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
I’m making some barbecue chicken tonight and I think these would go really well with it! I love that they’re baked instead of fried!