old bay potato chips

My Mama, being awesome, sent me down my favorite brand of potato chips from Pennsylvania today- Middleswarth Barbecue (although Middleswarth Sour Cream and Onion and Publix Salt and Vinegar are a close 2nd and 3rd). This act reminded me how much I love getting these packages, and that during the Super Bowl I had cooked homemade potato chips. A specialty of the North is Old Bay, something that the South doesn't know that they're missing. I combined yummy deep fried potato chips with Old Bay and I had what's known in Pennsylvania as "Crab Chips".

Potato chips are not hard to make, but they are a little time consuming. True, it is much easier to just grab potato chips off the shelf in the local grocery store, but these taste so much better. There are only a few key things to remember, the first being to clean your potatoes thoroughly before slicing.

You want the potatoes slices to be as thin as possible, so using a mandolin is the best idea. If you don't have one, be prepared to spend a lot of time slicing the potatoes. The next step is to soak your potato slices in cold water for at least 30 minutes to remove the starch- this will make your chips light and airy when you fry them.

You'll now want to thoroughly dry the chips- water and oil don't mix well. Dry the outside with a paper towel to ensure they are totally dry.

Deep fry your potato slices in your choice of oil (we use vegetable, but you can use peanut or corn if you want to). When you drop the slices into the oil, you want them to sizzle evenly on all sides, but not all crazy like. You also don't want them to just sink to the bottom. Remember to stir them every once and a while to ensure they are cooking evenly. They will take about 5 minutes to cook, and then you'll want to drain them on a paper towel.

You can really season these any way you'd like- since I made this first batch, I've made plain salted as well. Just season liberally and toss to coat. I'm not sure this is required, but, enjoy!

Old Bay Potato Chips
4 large russet potatoes
24 oz. vegetable oil
Old Bay seasoning, to taste

Wash potatoes thoroughly before slicing. Slice with a mandolin as thin as possible. Soak potato slices in cold water for 30 minutes to remove starch. Meanwhile, preheat oil in a large stock pot on medium heat. Drain potatoes and dry on a kitchen towel. In batches, fry potatoes slices for 5 minutes or until golden brown to dark brown. Drain on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Season with Old Bay to taste. Enjoy!