I made WHAT with the potato??

I hadn't figured on posting again so quickly, but I'll be working the next few days, and wanted to write this while I had a few minutes.

Awhile ago on Pinterest (don't you love Pinterest? If you aren't on it, sign up--it's really fun), I saw this rather odd-sounding recipe that I wanted to try, so I pinned it for later. I was telling a co-worker about it, and she sounded just as dubious as I felt. According to this girl on Pinterest, I would be able to make homemade potato chips in the microwave! What??

A side note here...for all of my life, I have tried to eat as healthy as possible. My Ma-Ma (maternal grandmother) started cooking healthy way before it was the cool thing to do. For example, she would make a soup a day ahead so that she could cool it down and skim off the fat. I never eat fried food, other than a very occasional dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken (like maybe once a year, and then I feel guilty for the rest of the year). Anyway, I've always made our French fries (or home fries, as Jerry calls them) in the oven. But the microwave?? We had leftover corned beef sandwiches last night, and quite honestly, I love potato chips with my sandwich. I decided to give it a try--all I had to lose was a potato!

OH MY GOSH! Not only did it work, but they were great! What I really like about this idea is that I can take one potato and make a few potato chips and not have a half of a sack leftover that will taunt me from the cabinet (come on, come on...eating just a few won't hurt...we feel so left out here in the pantry). Uh huh. I have a family wedding this summer that I need to lose a few pounds for and don't need potato chips sitting around. (I can't wait to blog about this wedding--it's at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago!!) Ok....back to the potato chips...this is what you do.

Slice your potato in thin slices. I used my mandolin so that my slices would be all the same thickness. Last night, I used 3 potatoes for the 2 of us, and I easily could have gotten away with using just 2 potatoes. But, I sent the leftover chips with Jerry for his lunch today, so all was not lost.

After slicing your potatoes, put them in a bowl and drizzle some olive oil on top of the slices. I honestly didn't measure it last night, but I made a few today for dinner tonight, and I used about 1/2 Tbl. for two medium potatoes. You're looking to coat the potatoes, not drown them in oil. Add a little salt--I used about 1/2 tsp. for the two potatoes, but adjust it to your liking after you do the first batch. Toss the slices so that they are evenly coated.

You are ready to make your potato chips. I used my bacon rack, but the original directions said to use a microwave safe plate. I sprayed my rack with some cooking spray and laid the slices on the rack in a single layer. (Last night, I sprayed the cooking spray for each batch, but today I just did it for the first batch and it was fine. It might depend on your plate that you use and how it's made). I popped them in the microwave and set it for 3 minutes on high. The original directions said 2 minutes, which is what I originally did but they did better for me when I let them go for 3 minutes. Turn them over, and microwave them once again for 2-3 minutes, depending on how brown you want them. It's a personal preference and it will depend on your microwave. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.

Take them out, and let cool on a plate while you do another batch! You've just made potato chips. Try not to eat them all before dinner. Supposedly, they save for up to 3 days, but I can't see them lasting that long around here to find out.

I want to try this with a sweet potato and see what happens with it. Let me know if you try them and how they did for you!! Meanwhile, I'm getting ready to watch The Biggest Loser (another side note--I'm really going to be ticked if they interrupt for the Iowa caucus. Is it November, yet?), and not feel guilty about eating potato chips for dinner! Happy munching!