Carrot Chips

Carrots are a staple in our home. I always have extras whenever I'm preparing carrots for a meal, because inevitable a little voice will ask "Can I have a carrot?" How can I say no to my child asking for a healthy snack? Let it ruin his dinner. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to make some carrot chips.

The thing I love about this recipe is that I don't have to bust out the mandoline. I can just use a vegetable peeler. Just be sure to buy thick carrots.

from CHOW

 Carrot Chips from Chow

2 large carrots (at least 1 inch in diameter), peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Basic Ranch Dressing for dipping (optional)

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks to divide the oven into thirds.

Holding the stem end, shave the carrots lengthwise into thin strips using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler. Place the carrot strips in a medium bowl, add the oil, salt, and pepper to taste and toss with your hands until thoroughly coated.

Place the strips in a single layer on 2 baking sheets—the strips can be touching but should not overlap. (Discard or save any remaining carrot slices for another use.)

Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pans between the racks. Bake until the edges of the chips are just starting to turn golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes more.

Place the baking sheets on wire racks and let the chips cool until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using your hands, carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish and serve with ranch dressing, if desired.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Apple Chips

With the success of the potato chips, I sought out other items I could  turn into chips. These were an instant hit! Whenever, I make them the boys will ask me "Are they done yet?" or "When will the apple chips be done?" When I open the door, they crowd around enjoying the aroma, almost drooling in anticipation! They can't get enough.

The first time I made them, after 2 hours they didn't seem done. They were a little floppy so I left them in a little longer. I didn't want them to be so crisp that they would fall apart with one bite, so I pulled them out. They were still floppy, but as they cooled they hardened or crisped to perfection. I recommend pulling one out, allowing it to cool then check if you have reached your desired crispiness.

Two things to know

• The time it takes to bake will depend on how juicy the apples are. (I use whatever I have)
• They will harden as they cool.

From Vittles and Bits

Apple Chips modified recipe from Vittles and Bits
2 large apples, cored
canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Thinly slice apples crosswise about 1/8-inch (2 mm) thick with a mandoline or sharp knife.  Arrange apple slices in a single layer on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spray with canola oil cooking spray.

Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven until apples are dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Remove from oven and let ‘chips’ cool completely before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days.  Makes about 2 cups of apple chips.

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips
2 T. sugar (optional)
1 t. cinnamon
Combine sugar & cinnamon. Put mixture into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over oiled apple slices.

Baked Potato Chips

photo by Ellie Miller for Martha Stewart

My kids love chips, mostly potato chips. If I want a bag that most of us can eat, I have to buy the name brand stuff. And even then #4 can't eat them and asks for our "cheeps" So I decided to make my own.

My biggest recommendation if you decide to make your own chips is to have a mandoline slicer, slicing attachment for a food processor/mixer, or even the slice side of a box grater. Sure you can practice your knife skills, if you want. But these tools will be faster and slice to a consistent thickness.

Baked Potato Chips from Martha Stewart

Canola-oil cooking spray
2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Freshly ground pepper
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray; set aside. Put potatoes, oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and the cayenne in a large bowl; season with pepper. Toss to combine.
Arrange potato slices on prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1/4 inch apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until potatoes are crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Spread out potatoes on parchment paper; let dry 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.