Baked Sweet Potato Chips

I moved to a new house in February, and with that move came the realization that I had more kitchen items than personal belongings of any other sort. Plates, tools/gadgets, appliances, cookbooks, mismatched napkins, glasses, bowls, etc...and that's not even getting into my ingredients stash.

I think this springs from two things. 1) I hate finding a recipe where I don't have the equipment I need to make it and 2) I am the queen of impulse purchases. Obviously those things go hand-in-hand. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime.

So, here I am living in DC where space is a commodity, and I think the only appliance/tool I don't have is a rice cooker (because I have no interest in one). I came across The Spiralizer about a year ago when it seemed like everyone was on a Paleo kick. Essentially it spiralizes vegetables to make them into mock-pasta of sorts. I'm not one for fad diets/food crazes, but I do love me some zucchini, so I was intrigued by the concept of making zucchini noodles.

Fast forward a year to when I decided to let myself have just one more space-consuming food tool. I could go on and on about this thing. It's incredibly easy to use, and zucchini noodles are shockingly delicious and satisfying. The best thing is that there are three blade attachments, so I didn't have to stop at just noodles.

And that is where we get to sweet potato chips. If you don't have a spiralizer and don't plan on ever buying one (...though you should), ignore everything above and use a mandolin or something of that sort. The spiralizer slices thin sweet potato pieces that make the perfect chips. There are multiple recipes out there for sweet potato chips, and I'm sure the one I'm sharing today seems like the most time-consuming. That said, giving the chips two hours in a lower temperature oven makes them quite possibly the best sweet potato chips ever.

You are welcome to season them however you like, but I prefer to use olive oil, salt, pepper and a little cayenne, paprika or cajun seasoning. Despite the time involved, the recipe itself couldn't be simpler. Pop a batch in the oven--run errands, watch tv, do laundry, etc.--come back after 45 minutes or so, flip them and repeat said process. When the timer goes off, take them out and marvel at the crispy, crunchy, thin chips that await you. I like to dip mine in ketchup or ranch, but they're just as good plain. I promise if you have the time you will consider it well worth it!

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled.
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line two pans with parchment (you may need three depending on the size of the sweet potatoes).

Peel sweet potatoes and dry thoroughly. Slice potatoes with the slicing blade of a Spiralizer or on a  very thin setting on the mandolin (the thinner the chip, the crispier the outcome). If using a knife, make sure it is very sharp and keep in mind the goal is to have the slices be as thin and uniform as possible.

Toss slices in olive oil and seasonings to coat. Arrange on baking sheets in a single layer, making sure not to overlap with one another. Place baking sheets in the oven for roughly an hour and 45 minutes. Halfway through the baking time remove pans and flip the chips over. You'll notice that they have gone down significantly in size (ignore this knowledge when later thinking back on how many you ate and how big they started out). Rotate pans and place back in the oven. Remove when the chips are crisp and just slightly starting to brown around the edges. Enjoy!