Making your own potato chips is so incredibly easy. There are 2 pieces of equipment that you should have:
1) Mandoline
2) Deep Fryer
(or) you could use a big heavy pot & thermometer
Here’s my weapon of choice: Pampered Chef Mandolin
The biggest secret to making light as air potato chips is to soak the potato chips in water to wash away the excess starch. You can even soak them overnight. Usually, I’ll soak for 30 minutes. If you don’t have the time, then place all the potato slices in a big bowl of water and rub gently to wash each slice. Drain the potato slices super dry, as water + oil = flying splatter = burnt spot on arm and face. (oops)
If you have any left over, and thats a big if….they’ll last another day. Don’t cover them tightly, which causes them to get soggy. I usually just them in the bowl and drape a towel over them. In the morning before my kids get up, I tiptoe into the kitchen…they make a great breakfast for me. (hey, I dip in ketchup to get my serving of vegetables!)
My favorite dip is a Cumin-Sweet Smoked Paprika Aioli that I got from Florida Trend Magazine’s Top New Restaurant Martini’s & Tapas where I teach cooking classes at. Instead of making aioli fresh from eggs, I cheat and use store bought mayo. Two unlikely spice combinations of Cumin and Sweet Smoked Paprika just go together but you just don’t know why, kinda like Travis and Shannon.
Light as Air Potato Chips with Sweet Smoky Paprika & Cumin Aioli
Ingredients
For the Chips:
- 1 large russet potato for every 2 people
- oil for deep frying
- salt
For the Dip:
- Dip (Sweet Smoky Paprika & Cumin Aioli)
- 1 cup good mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 large clove garlic, minced with garlic press
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Chips:
- Using mandoline set at 1/16th inch, slice potatoes. Put all slices in a big bowl of water. Let sit for 20 minutes - 24 hours. Heat fryer to 375. Drain as much water as you can from the potato slices. Use paper towels to absorb any additional water on the surface. Place a batch of potato slices into the fryer (batch size really depends on big your fryer or pot is - just make sure that the slices do not stick to each other and all are under the oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on a baking sheet with rack. While chips are hot, season with salt.
Dip:
- In a bowl, combine all of the above. If have the time, I recommend that you make your own aioli. But, if you're like me and crave potato chips and MUST HAVE THEM NOW, store bought mayo will do.
These were so good I forgot to use that dip with them! Was able to slice them really thin and when fried, they tell you when they’re ready. The hissing stops 🙂
Gotta remember that dip tomorrow.
Thanks for this.
Thank you so much Len! jaden
My husband just made these and they are seriously the best chips I have ever had!!
I will show it to my mother and my wife
do you really use air potato’s or is it just normal potato’s?
this looks amazing i love chips ..try it once and didnt turn out very good i will try this way ….
Mmm, these look great. I should try making them. Whenever I buy a bag of chips I end up throwing them out because it’s just too much. Thanks for the recipe!
What a dissapointment!! These don’t brown up very well, until
they are very over done!!! In my opinion, russets are “Baking Potatoes” and do not do well for frying!! When I made these
using “Red” potatoes, they came out “Awesome”!!!
But, Hey, this is just my opion!!!
I find that the same is true for making homemade french fries!!
Red brown up and taste better!!!!
I haven’t tried the dipping sauce yet, but plan to!!
Thank you for a nice recipe web-site!!
These look fantastic, and I’m a big fan of aioli on potato chips already – I’ve gotta try your cumin and paprika version (so far saffron aioli is my fave, on chips, baguette slices, homemade potato croquettes… anything, really).
I tried making this last night but turned out soggy. Is it because I didn’t use a deep fryer?
What did you use?
I used just a pot with canola oil.
….needs a mandoline
Then I can cut the potatoes for chips evenly. Wonder how it was done before mandolines? Guess the poor chef then had to think very hard as to where he would land that knife into the potato.
My daughters love home made chips, I made two batches, one with out soaking and one with soaking. What a difference! They started calling them Austrailian chips and Kangaroo dip, now all the neighbor hood kids ask for the Aussie chips with the Roo dip now…. Thanks
I made them last night and yummmmmmmy! Well just the chips with some sea salt on them. I pay at the hockey game 3.50 for about 2 large potatos worth. Never gonna spend that again!!!! Also we get cajun spice from Popeye’s and I am gonna put that on my next batch!!! Ok now i am back to the kitchen to make some more.
It’s me again. I tried the way you said to do it.
It turned out excellent! From the many attempts I have tried making potato chips, this had perfect results!
Thanks a lot for sharing!!
Oh my God! Why didn’t I “find” your site earlier!!
My hubby loves to munch on chips and he is a potato lover! I have tried a couple of times to make the chips at home, but it always turns out soggy. Some have told me to add some kind of ‘additives’ to make it crispy, but I want it to be natural – just the potatoes and salt, and oil to fry.
I am going to try out your way of making them! I don’t have a deep fryer, but I guess it should work well still!
Thanks!
robert- overnight is about all that it lasts. just keep them uncovered in a bowl.
how long can you store fresh potatoe chips
thanks for the homemade potato chip recipe.i have a 5 year old who loves pototo chips so this recipe will help me keep chips for him.
You are soooooo hellbent on making me add more calories to my already very, very overly endowed body. I am going to tackle you somehow (I dont know how) later. But these look absolutely yummilicious & I would just like to sink into the dip & use the chips to save myself!!
this so would be so much my kind of snack. never made them at home. something to try out soon 🙂
Tigerfish- I once tried to make chips without a mandoline and cut with a knife as thin as possible. After the 10th chip, I got so frustrated and went out to the store and bought a bag of shrimp chips instead!
SW-If you skip breakfast, lunch, snack and dessert, your waistline should be ok to eat these for dinner. 😛
Wonderful…but what about my waistline?
This should be those guilt-free potato chips! I love to snack, so this is my kind of snacks. But I do not have those 2 essentials that you mentioned.
Rasa – I’m so inspired by your site as well! You’re on my list too!
Meena – let me know how it turns out (and a pic too!)
Ohh! This looks delicious! I’m definitely gonna try the dip. 🙂
Jaden,
Thanks for visiting Rasa Malaysia and left me comments! Wow, you have such a gorgeous site with truly amazing (x10) food pictures. I will add you to my blogroll ASAP.
I am so glad I have found a gem! 🙂