Appetizers
Plancha Potato Chips
(Workman Publishing).
Potato chips are such an integral part of American packaged snack foods, it’s hard to remember that chefs once took pride in frying them fresh. (A few—too few—still do.) And you may be surprised to learn that most commercial potato chips are made with dried potato flakes, cornstarch, and water—formed into a pasta-like dough, stamped out on a machine, and fried in oil. Ouch. Which makes these plancha potato chips all the more remarkable because they actually deliver the rich, earthy taste of fresh potatoes. Another advantage: They’re cooked with a fraction of the fat, and it’s a great-tasting fat—extra virgin olive oil. Plancha potato chips are a staple at our house, and I hope they will become one at yours.
Plancha Potato Chips Recipe
Plancha Potato Chips
Recipe Notes
- Advance Prep: 5 minutes (Time to peel and dry potato slices, and preheat the griddle)
- Active Prep: 10 minutes (Slicing the potatoes and arranging them on the griddle)
- Grill Time: 8–10 minutes (Cooking each side for 2–4 minutes)
- Total Time: 15–20 minutes (Including slicing, drying, and cooking)
- Yield: Serves 2 to 4
- Method: Griddle / Plancha Cooking
- Equipment: Mandoline or sharp knife, Griddle or plancha, Tongs, Wire cooling rack, Dish towels or paper towels
Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes, or 4 medium Yukon Golds, peeled
- Extra virgin olive oil for the griddle
- Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper
You'll Also Need
- A wire cooling rack
Recipe Steps
1: Cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick (3 mm) slices, using a mandoline or a steady hand with a chef’s knife. Spread the potato slices out on a clean dish cloth or paper towels and blot dry with additional paper towels. Work quickly so the potatoes don’t oxidize.
2: Meanwhile, heat your griddle or plancha to medium-high. Oil it well.
3: Arrange the potato slices in a single layer on the griddle. Season them with salt and pepper and cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Lightly drizzle the tops with oil, then turn with tongs, season, and cook the potato slices on the other side the same way.
4: If you like your potato chips extra crispy, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet pan. They’ll crisp upon cooling. We like them hot, so we serve them hot off the plancha.
Recipe Tips
What Else
I’ve made these chips from all manner of potatoes, from Idaho bakers to Yukon Golds. You can even make them with sweet potatoes—which, because they’re harder and drier, are a little more difficult to slice. Practically speaking, the larger the potatoes, the fewer you need to slice, cook, and turn. To facilitate slicing, use a mandoline: I like my Japanese model made by Benriner, available at kitchenware stores or online.
What’s More
Myriad are the seasonings you can put on plancha potato chips. I’m partial to barbecue rub, smoked paprika, Old Bay seasoning, and Cajun seasoning.
Cooking enthusiast and reader of my books David Wright wrote me about a sandwich his father used to make when he was growing up during the lean years of World War II: “We’d fry potato slices, then pile them on fresh buns with mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles, sliced onions, sliced tomatoes, and cheese. You didn’t even miss the hamburgers, and I never had anyone not ask for seconds.” Amen!
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