Fried Potato Chips

Here’s how to prepare fried potato chips. The crispiness is guaranteed by a couple of small tricks in the frying process.

Ingredients

• Floury potatoes as needed
• Seed oil (for example, peanut) for frying
• Fine salt as needed

Preparation

1. Peel the potatoes and slice them very thinly, if possible with a mandolin, to get even slices that cook uniformly.
2. Soak the potato slices in a bowl full of water for a few minutes. This will help remove the excess starch, which would make the potatoes less crispy after frying.
3. Dry the potatoes with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, making sure they are completely dry to avoid oil splatters during frying.
4. Heat the oil in a deep pan or a deep fryer to 180 °C. It’s important that the oil is at the right temperature; a kitchen thermometer can help you achieve the necessary precision.
5. Fry the potatoes in small batches to not lower the oil temperature too much and to ensure that each chip is surrounded by oil and can become crispy.
6. Once the chips are golden and crispy, lift them from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer them onto paper towels to remove the excess oil.
7. Sprinkle the chips with salt immediately while they are still hot, so the salt sticks better.

For an Italian touch, you might add a pinch of finely chopped rosemary or grated Parmesan cheese along with the salt, right after frying. Enjoy your meal!

Curiosity

Potato chips have quite a curious history. It is said that they were accidentally invented in 1853 by a Native American chef named George Crum. A customer complained that his fried potatoes were too thick and soft, and Crum, in a fit of irritation, sliced the potatoes as thinly as possible and fried them until they were extra crispy. Contrary to his expectations, the customer was delighted, and thus potato chips were born!