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Oh yum--I'm going to try this with sweet potatoes and other tubers and root veggies!

Wow! That's a lot of exclamation points! ;)

Heh. I'm trying it right now. They're on a plate because I don't have a steamer sort of thing. Taking a LOT longer than the 9 minutes that the recipe on Jugalbandi indicates...but maybe that's because my microwave is a bit weaker? Not sure. I'm excited for them getting done, though!

OK. Finally done (after maybe 30 minutes total of microwaving. Though I started with 3 minutes on 50% power. Next time I'll just start with it on high. Eventually I just did 30 second spurts at full power 'cause I was getting impatient!). Result? Surprisingly crispy (though not crispy like kettle chips or lays) and a delicious potato taste. Definitely something to try out.

Thanks for posting this, Emma!

I just discovered over the weekend that root veg chips are THE BEST THING EVER. Move over family and friends and pets and kisses and chocolate mousse - you've been replaced.

laetitiae - I'm surprised it took a whole 30 minutes! I wonder if it might have been the type of potato? Maybe really starchy or dry ones take longer? (I've got Sara Kate's post on the brain!)

Yes, try doing it on High straight off the bat and see if that makes a difference. Also, maybe you could experiment with longer intervals - that way even if it takes 30 minutes, at least you could be doing other things instead of hovering next to the microwave!

I had to futz with the times and powers a bit, too, since my microwave only has "High" and "Low" settings. And my microwave is old and a bit...er...un-stellar.

Emma - I used a pretty regular medium sized red potato. I sliced them pretty thin with my mandolin.

My guess is that I should have started off with 3-5 minutes on high to get them sizzling and then start to taper down the power levels. As it was, I did 3 mins at 50%, 3 mins at 40%, 3 mins at 30%, about 6 more mins at 40%, 5 mins at 50% and then about 2-3 mins at full power. (OK, so that wasn't quite half an hour! Seemed like it...and probably got up there since I was flipping them each time the microwave turned off.)

This is *definitely* something that I'll do again because the result was absolutely delicious! Also dangerous, because after having one entire potato's worth (maybe 15-20 chips?), I was eager to make another batch of 'em. Must. Resist. Eating. Only. Potatoes. For. Food. :)

I am very impressed!!

Emily

really nice. i just made some up

3 mins high
3 mins med/high
2 mins low
1 min med

i used paper towel and a plate, at the end my towel was soaked and they were not getting crispy, so i changed the towel and did one more minute on med and they got crispy very quickly. i'd recommend changing the towel over after you've done both sides once. i think i'll be able to eliminate some microwaving time by doing so.

i was surprised how yummy they are, for something so easy!

I tried these a few months ago and while I liked the low-fat nature and the crispiness of the 'taters, I thought there was a weird metallic taste in the potato. Maybe it was the potato I used, but I was sort of disappointed in the results.

i like that pretty picture w. the pink background

I just made these, and although not the best chips I've ever had, they were an impressive healthy version. I should have read the earlier comments because I too started the potatoes at 50 percent and they took forever! I bumped up the power towards the end and then they finally cooked. I have a couple questions...when you do them without the steamer, do you put them between paper towels or just on top of a paper towel? And has anyone else had a problem with the paper sticking to the chips at the end?

I don't think this way works as well as soaking them in ice water first does.


Parchment paper works best.

If potatoes are old, peel and slice thin, less than 1/16" in thickness (paper thin), slicing across the potato.


If the potatoes are new or good skins, DO NOT PEEL, just scrub well, then slice them less than 1/16" in thickness (paper thin), slicing across the potato.


Place potato slices in a bowl, sprinkle with some salt (if desired) cover with cold water and let sit for 10 minutes.

Remove potato slices in batches onto paper toweling and pat dry.


If you have a microwave bacon tray, rub the tray with a vegetable oil--lightly--, then place the sliced potatoes flat on the tray in a single layer.


Sprinkle with your choice of herbs or spices or just leave them plain.

Cover with a microwaveable, round heavy plastic cover.


Microwave on HIGH (full power) for 5 to 5 1/2 minutes or until they curl slightly and are a very light brown in color.


Cooking time could vary slightly, depending on the wattage of your microwave and the thickness of the slices. The thinner the slices, the quicker they cook and the tastier they are.

If you do not have a bacon tray, use a microwave safe casserole dish.


Rub the inside of the dish with a tiny bit of olive oil for the first batch of potato chips. After the first batch is done, you do not have to oil the dish again.

Continue to microwave the remainder of sliced potatoes as noted above.

If using a bacon tray, after the first batch is cooked, you can reduce the microwaving time to 4 1/2 minutes and even less as you continue to microwave each batch.

NOTE: You can also use PARCHMENT PAPER to microwave the potato slices. Lightly spray or rub the parchment paper with some vegetable oil or a Pam spray. Place your potato slices on the parchment paper, then sprinkle them with whatever you like and then place another piece of parchment paper on top. This will help microwave the potatoes more evenly and they should turn out nice and crisp. Microwaving time should be between 5 and 6 minutes.

Sprinkle with pepper or grated cheese.

Why don't recipe writers/posters mention the wattage of their microwave so it would be easier for everyone to figure out the settings to use. I'm not sure why so few recipes specify this. [\petpeeve]

Hey Emma,

My name is Olivia and I write for the student run food blog, Penn Appétit, at The University of Pennsylvania. I love this post of yours, it's perfect for college students! I featured this recipe the other day on my blog, feel free to check it out: http://pennappetit.blogspot.com/2008/09/friday-blog-lovin-diy-potato-chipsin.html

I had no idea that could be done. Very cool!

it works! its great! i did 1:30 on high and then turned and 1:30 again on the next lower level until they turned golden brown.. I sprinkled them with chili pepper before hand... yummy! sweet potatoes are next!maybe... apples? the hardest part was to not eat them as they came out.

Has anyone tried sweet potatoes yet? I adore sweet potato chips.

I can attest--they work AWESOMELY with sweet potatoes, Faith!

Wow! great recipe - I used sliced sweet potatoes, a bit of salt and then put the slices on a paper towel on a plate and did 2 times 3 minutes on 900W (using a new paper towel for the 2nd 3 minutes).

Deliciously crisp and tasty!

thank you!

I've tried this several times and love them as a snack (albeit a time consuming one). Excellent dipped in vinegar before "baking," then sprinkled with sea salt. I use the bacon tray, but no paper towels as I found they stick. And I cut them by hand, and enjoy the varying levels of crispness this delivers!

These chips are tasty, but they are very time consuming. Also, I wouldn't recommend letting them sit too long. I made a double batch thinking I could save some to munch on the next day. I stored them in an air tight container, but the next day they were chewy and had lost all of their crispness. I was able to get them to crisp up again by microwaving them for a minute, but I wouldn't trust these chips as something you could take on the go like a regular bag of potato chips.

I just tried these with a fantastically delicious result! I used a medium red potato sliced as thin as I could get it with a chef's knife (woesome mandoline-less college student am I). My microwave doesn't let me adjust the power, so I did them at 100% 3 minutes, flipped then 3 minutes, then flipped once more then 2 minutes. I sprinkled them with sea salt and they're gone in the time it took me to hurry upstairs and write this! :)

I do 9 minutes at 100% and they come out perfectly. Sometimes I add an additional 30 sec or 1 min,but that's it. Easy as buying a bag of chips. No flips necessary.

I can't make a crispy french fry to save my life but have been deep frying the very best potato chips ever the past few months. I splurged on a good mandoline but got too lazy to get it out and then clean it. I found that if I just use a peeler the long way the tension changes a little and they curl a bit as they crisp! (no peeling needed!)

I find it also makes a huge difference to briefly soak as I cut them, then rinse 3-4 times until water stays clear (de-starching) before spinning in my salad spinner to dry them.