The $3 Trader Joe’s Snack I Use to Make My Favorite Fancy-ish Weeknight Meal

I’m no stranger to snack dinners. A makeshift antipasto platter of dips, crunchy veggies and crackers, cheese, and something briny, like olives or pickles, is my version of a grown-up Lunchable.

My snacky suppers sometimes lean in a tapas direction, which is where the potato chip omelet by acclaimed Spanish chef Ferran Adrià, of El Bulli fame, comes in. His take on tortilla Española is super simple — eggs, potato chips, olive oil, and your preferred seasonings — so you need to make sure your ingredients are top-quality.

I’ve made this dish with many different combinations, but my favorite iteration includes one of my favorite seasonal treats: the Peruvian Potato Chips from Trader Joe’s.

Richly hued in shades of golden-brown, blue, and purple, these crisp chips are nutty, toasty, and slightly earthy. If you like a crunchy, thick-cut kettle-style chip (or even the Dark Russet style TJ’s also sells), these are for you. Sturdy enough for endless dipping, these chips also make a perfect match for folding into a Spanish-style tortilla.

After whisking together your eggs, you’ll fold in your potato chips until they’re coated in the egg mixture, letting them rest in the eggs for at least a minute. Once you’ve heated your skillet with a big glug of olive oil, you’ll add your egg-chip mixture in a single layer and cook for about five minutes until the eggs start to firm up. After flipping the tortilla whole, it just needs another four to five minutes of cooking before transferring it onto a cutting board for slicing and snacking.

Dust it with some smoked paprika and serve with a Spanish red wine or perhaps some sangria for a taste of Spain at your house.

Find it in stores: Peruvian Potato Chips, $2.49 for 6 ounces.

What TJ’s snacks do you use to upgrade your dinner? Tell us about it in the comments below.