vegetable chips

Miriam, author of the blog El Invitado de Invierno , invites us to prepare some light vegetable chips. Light in fat, but full of flavour! These vegetable chips will become an original snack on the table or a great option to enjoy with the children between meals.

You've probably seen them around, in the United States food blogs, chips made from various vegetables baked in the oven instead of fried are all the rage. This way they can ease their conscience by eating light vegetables, and then stuff themselves with those greasy sweets full of fondant, icing and other rubbish. Fools.

Well, don't be offended by the children of the United States because I'm going to copy your idea, because if baked vegetable chips are delicious, why don't we try them?

To make these vegetable chips, a mandolin is perfect. It's not that you can't slice vegetables with a sharp knife, but they certainly come out more evenly and perfectly thin with a mandolin . I assure you that once you lose your fear, you'll come up with tons of uses for it.

There are a number of vegetables that lend themselves to being made into crisps in the oven, from the obvious potato, to the similarly thick sweet potato, to zucchini and turnip. I've even seen fennel crisps. Each has its own peculiarities, but crispy oven-baked vegetables take on a sweetness that isn't as apparent with other cooking methods. Yum.

Olive wood cutting board by Bérard ; ceramic plate from the set of 4 plates by Emile Henry

Ingredients

1 sweet potato
1 zucchini
½ turnip or any other vegetable you fancy
virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Elaboration

We peel the vegetables that need to be peeled, such as turnips, and slice them into thin slices with a mandolin (I have one of the most famous, the Ultra by De Buyer ) or a sharp knife , the thinner the better.

While we slice the vegetables, we heat the oven to 110°-120°, preferably with fan because it helps dry out the chips.

We are going to place the chips on baking trays . The driest vegetables, such as turnips, potatoes and sweet potatoes, hardly need any oil on the tray, just enough. However, zucchini, which is much more moist, does need a film of oil underneath so that it doesn't stick. You can also use a non-stick baking tray , thus minimising the use of oil (or even avoiding it completely, as the chips won't stick).

Place a couple of trays in the oven and roast the vegetables for at least 20 minutes, although keep an eye on them constantly, as they brown easily. They are done when they are toasted around the edges and somewhat firm, although you have to bear in mind that they do not become as crispy as if you fried them. Continue in this way until you finish all the slices.

It should be noted that the chips shrink considerably when dried in the oven, so you have to cut more vegetables than you think.

And enjoy them freshly made with a good beer or wine. A luxury appetizer.

NOTE: If you are interested in the subject of mandolins, you may like to read the article " How to choose a kitchen mandolin ". You can see all the mandolins available in the store, here .