Vegetable chips

Miriam, author of the blog "The Winter Guest", invites us to prepare some vegetable chips in a light version. Light in fat, but full of flavor! These vegetable chips will become an original appetizer on the table or a great option to enjoy with kids between meals.

You must have seen them around; in American food blogs vegetable chips baked in the oven instead of fried are trendy. That way they soothe their conscience by eating veggies in a light way, then gorge on those sticky sweets full of fondant, glaze and other junk. Foolish.

Well then, don’t take offense, creatures of the United States, because I’m going to copy the idea, since if oven-baked vegetable chips are tasty, why wouldn’t we try them?

To make these vegetable chips a mandoline comes in handy. It’s not that vegetables can’t be sliced with a very sharp knife, but they definitely come out more even and perfectly thin with a mandoline. I assure you that once you get over the fear you’ll think of lots of uses for it.

There are various vegetables suitable for making oven chips, from the obvious potato, through sweet potato, yam, of similar texture, to zucchini and turnip. I’ve even seen fennel chips. Each has its peculiarities, but crispy oven-baked vegetables develop a sweetness that isn’t as apparent with other cooking methods. Yum.

Bérard olive wood cutting board; ceramic plate from the Emile Henry Set of 4 plates

Ingredients

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

Preparation

We peel the vegetables that need peeling, like the turnip, and slice them into thin rounds with a mandoline (I have one of the better-known ones, the Ultra de De Buyer) or a sharp knife, the thinner the better.

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

We place the chips on baking trays. Drier vegetables, like turnip, potato and sweet potato, barely need the tray oiled, just enough. However, zucchini, which is much more moist, does need a film of oil underneath so it doesn’t stick. You can also use a non-stick baking tray, minimizing oil use (or even avoiding it completely, as they won’t stick).

We put a couple of trays in the oven and roast the vegetables for at least 20 minutes, although watching them constantly, since they brown easily. They’re done when they’re toasted at the edges and somewhat firm, although keep in mind they won’t get as crispy as if fried. We proceed this way until all the slices are finished.

Keep in mind that the chips shrink considerably as they dry in the oven, so you should cut more vegetables than it seems.

And eat them freshly made with a good beer or a little wine. A luxurious appetizer.

NOTE: If you’re interested in mandolines, you might like to read the article "How to choose a kitchen mandoline". You can see all the mandolines available in the shop, here.