Glass Potato Chips

Let's be honest: Potato chips are boring. Every time I wander the chip aisle of the grocery store, there is some supposedly new twist on the potato chip. Classic. Jalapeno. Terra Blue. Vinegar and salt. Vidalia onion. Ranch. Whatever. Most are a disappointment.

Why couldn't the potato chip be beautiful? A work of art? An architectural design element?

Behold: The Edible Glass Potato Chip

This chip is stunning. It's see-through like no other food. It has the distinct crunch and flavor of a potato chip, but in an unexpected space-age form.

This is molecular gastronomy brought home. It involves potato stock, potato starch, and a slow-dried gel. The first couple of steps are a breeze, but I warn you in advance: you must have patience to bring these to fruition. The last few steps require that you dehydrate the gel and then deep fry the chips in oil (like the real ones). But the result is oh-so-worth-it (every calorie, too).

The original recipe was created Hamid Salimian, the chef at Diva at the Met. I improved the recipe by using a squeeze bottle to create more uniform potato chips. I also experimented with adding herbs like rosemary to the recipe which is a great way to bring your own twist to the recipe.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:   

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F

8 Yukon Gold Potatoes

High quality finishing salt or Kosher Salt

1/2 Cup

Olive Oil

4 Cups Water

4 Tbsp Potato Starch 

Optional- Fresh herbs/ Rosemary

Squeeze Bottle

Wash the potatoes in cold water and dry them with a paper towel. 

Place the cleaned potatoes on a cutting board and make a slit into each one about 1cm thick. Next, place the potatoes in a bowl and add the olive oil & salt. Toss to combine. 

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and into the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. 

Pour four cups of water into a pot and bring it to the temperature right under a boil. 

Place the baked potatoes into a clean bowl and pour the hot liquid over it. Cover the top of the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for two hours. 

Remove the potatoes and save for another dish. Strain the liquid using a fine mesh strainer. Place the stock into an airtight container and chill, preferably overnight. 

To make the Potato Gel, pour the chilled stock into a pot over medium high heat and add 4 tbsp of the potato starch. Whisk the mixture immediately. The starch will stick to the bottom a bit. Continue whisking the starch and stock until the mixture turns into a gel. 

Pre-heat oven to 135 degrees F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Pour the gel into a squeeze bottle. Form oval elongated shapes resembling potato chips onto the parchment. They should be semi thick. If they are too thin, they will break when you fry them. 

Place in the oven for 8-10 hours or overnight. You need the gel to be completely dry for this to work.

If you are in a rush, you can raise the oven heat to 225  degrees F and it may shorten the drying time. Just be sure they don't get to dried out, they may shrivel up. Drying time may be cut in half at this temperature, but not sure. 

To make the Glass Potato Chips, pour vegetable oil into a wok or deep saute pan. I wouldn't recommend using a fryer unless it has a really low temperature setting because the chips will most likely burn. I did a couple of test runs and when the oil was to hot they lost their "glass" texture and they resembled a fried pork rind. 

Make sure the heat is on low/medium low. I recommend starting with the heat on medium low and then lowering the heat to low.  Use a pair of tongs and dip one or two chips at a time into the oil. The chips are really delicate, but will stand up to being handled with the tongs. Just be gentle. Turn them a couple of times. You will notice immediately the glass texture once they hit the oil. Be attentive and watch the chips. Once they turn a light golden amber they are ready. 

Place them on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. 

Here ya' go! Completely edible glass potato chips! Although time consuming, these are really freakin cool and they taste amazing!

Please post pics if decide to make these. 

Enjoy!