Homemade Garlic and Olive Oil Baked Chips

Hope everyone is having a nice Monday. It has been so nice to have today off. I usually work in my dental office Monday’s but decided that I needed the day off! I had one of my last pilates training sessions last Thurs-Sunday and it was brutal. I am really excited to be almost completely official! I swear the upcoming practical exam is more stressful than my dental hygiene boards. There’s something so wrong with that!

So, onto the food....

I made these yummy chips this afternoon. They are a nice alternative to fried chips and are actually really easy. If you don’t have a mandolin or “v-slicer,” I highly recommend investing in one. For those of you who live in AZ, I got mine at Shars Kitchen store in Gilbert or you can find it online. It’s by Zyliss and costs about $45.00.

It took about 30 seconds to slice 2 large potatoes into thin potato chip slices. You could certainly use a sharp knife if you don’t have a mandolin. I pull mine out mostly to julienne and thinly slice vegetables, it comes in so handy. I love the silicone pastry brushes too, that I use in this recipe. You can pick them up for about $5.00 just about any where, I use them all the time.

If you ever feel like making your own chips, this a simple, easy recipe that’s really tasty too. Have a great week and have some chips!

Homemade Garlic and Olive Oil Baked Potato Chips

2 large russet potatoes, washed, not peeled
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
few small pinches Kosher salt
small pinch Lawry’s Garlic Salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. With a mandolin on the thinnest blade or a sharp knife, slice potatoes into thin slices. Place sliced potatoes on paper towels to gently pat dry. With a pastry brush, very lightly brush the potatoes with extra virgin olive oil. Lightly sprinkle one side of the potatoes with kosher salt and garlic salt. Place seasoned side of potatoes down onto 2 large baking sheets that have been sprayed lightly with cooking spray then do the same to the unseasoned side. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove and flip each potato. Bake for an additional 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. If you have one baking sheet on the bottom rack, it will brown a bit faster so watch closely.

2. Remove chips and place onto a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes to finish crisping, then serve.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Still making soup.... We had this for dinner tonight with our neighbors before we took the kids trick or treating. It was really good. I made it last night and simmered it throughout the day, one of my favorites! Totally worth the prep time. It makes a huge batch, 1/2 the recipe if you'd like. Enjoy!

12 oz Applewood smoked bacon
4 stalks celery finely diced
2 large carrots, peeled, finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded, membrane removed and finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
½ Cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced ham or Canadian bacon
32 oz chicken broth
6 oz half and half
10 med/lg. potatoes, baked, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ Cup milk
4 oz sour cream
1 ½ Cups shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish
½ Cup sour cream
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup thinly sliced green onion (green part)

1. Heat large dutch oven over medium heat. Cut bacon into pieces and cook until browned and crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Discard bacon grease, reserving 2 Tablespoons to sauté veggis. Saute celery, carrots, jalapeno, onion and bell pepper in bacon grease for 10 minutes, stirring often until softened. Stir in garlic and ham; cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in chicken broth and half and half.
2. Place mashed potatoes in a stand or electric mixer. Mix on medium speed adding salt, pepper and milk. Stir mashed potatoes into soup until combined. Heat for 10 minutes.
3. Stir in sour cream and cheese until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on low until ready to serve. Top with sour cream, bacon, cheese and green onion.