Root Vegetable Chips
Make these crunchy vegetable chips that are just like Terra chips, but better! Choose root vegetables like sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, and beets for a crispy, crunchy homemade snack.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 oz 1x
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 yuca root
- 2 parsnips
- 1 russet potato
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 gold beet
- 1 red beet
- Approximately 26oz lard or tallow (rendered from about 2 pounds of fat)
- sea salt
Instructions
- Wash and trim ends/stems from all vegetables.
- Heat lard/tallow in a large diameter pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (If it begins to bubble before the veggies are sliced, reduce heat a tad to prevent burning).
- Meanwhile, slice the vegetables in small batches and in the order listed above to minimize oxidation while they wait their turn to be fried (start with just the yuca and parsnips – when those are almost done frying, slice the potato, and so on). The red beets can also discolor the lard, so be sure to fry them last.
- When the melted lard is 350-375 degrees or when a test slice crackles when dropped in, it’s ready. Drop enough slices to create a single layer on the surface of the lard. Cook for 2-3 minutes, using metal tongs to stir/flip chips as needed to ensure even cooking.
- Use tongs to transfer cooked chips from the pot to a large surface line with a double layer of paper towels to absorb moisture. Sprinkle both sides with sea salt immediately.
- Continue slicing and cooking in batches until all are done.
- Transfer cooled chips to a serving bowl.
Notes
- Cooked chips can be stored in a paper sack for up to a few days. If they lose their crisp, pop them in a 425-degree oven for just a few minutes before serving.
- I included parsnip and yuca in this recipe, but don’t sweat it if you can’t find these. We thought the potato, sweet potato, and beet chips were the best!
- To speed up the process, consider using two large-diameter cooking pots. Doubling the surface area will reduce your cooking time by half!
- If you’ve ever fried anything before, you know that the temperature of the fat is key. Not hot enough, and the chips will absorb too much fat and won’t crisp. Too hot, and they’ll burn. I highly recommend using a thermometer if you have one. It really makes high-heat cooking easier. If you don’t have one, just be sure to test-fry one or two veggie slices before adding more.
Nutrition
- Calories: 470