Addictive Baked Potato Chips

I love homemade chips. I absolutely love them at our local restaurant, The Windward. If I can make them baked and not fried at home, I would be very excited.

I made these as a dinner side. They are really dangerous! If you leave them out on your counter, there may not be any left for your dinner, if you have to keep walking by them. 

baking russet potatoes

mixed up salt

mixed up pepper

garlic powder

your favorite olive oil

(I used a rosemary oregano one)

 

Recipe Adapted from Oprah

 

Scrub your potatoes with a brush under running water. Slice them the long way by hand or using a mandolin. I cut mine in about 1/4 inch strips. 

Pour some olive oil on a baking sheet and rub around with a paper towel to spread evenly. Cover the baking sheet with potatoes and then season to your liking. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then, pull them out of the oven, flip them, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Personally, I loved the inconsistencies in how these came out. I couldn't decide if I liked the smaller harder ones better or the ones that were still a bit soft. If you make your decision on that and want them to come out more uniform the next time you make them, just keep the smaller ones in the middle of the sheet and the larger ones towards the outside when baking them. 

These certainly didn't need anything to go with them but I did make a dipping sauce out of:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/2 packet Ranch

1/4 packet of green onion mix or

1 Tbsp onion dip seasoning

Try to make enough to stare with your friends! Go ahead and leave them in a spot you have to walk by during the day. I dare you.

Potato Skin Stuffed Mushrooms

 Okay, stop the presses! I had to share this one right away before someone steals my idea. Did you ever see an awesome recipe and say, "now why didn't I think of that?" I think I just invented this out of nothing! Google images and Pinterest searches return nothing for it, so I'm calling it mine!!!

There are no potato skins in this at all. It's just the great taste of potato skins shoved into a healthier form! And the mix of cheeses...prompts memories of fondue yuminess. 

half a dozen mushrooms, peeled and cored

bacon bits

2 Tbsp crumbled bleu cheese

2-3 Tbsp breadcrumbs

1/4 cup shredded cheese, Mexican blend

1/8 cup shredded cheese, pizza blend

1 scallion, minced

In a microwaveable mixing bowl, mix the cheeses together and microwave for 30 seconds. Take out and stir your gooey mixture. Add just enough breadcrumbs to stop it from being very sticky and clinging to the sides of the bowl. Scoop into each mushroom. Top with bacon bits and scallions...done! Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. 

Hindsight: When I make these again, I'm going to try some variations on them. Maybe sauteing them first in some olive oil or even flouring them before that so they get a "potato skin" crispness to them!