Faux chips

There are some lies we tell as parents that are acceptable. The one about the tooth fairy, for example. There are some that are not, like insinuating there’s pudding and then only producing a mealy apple. That’s not pudding in my book. These chips are part of my acceptable lies arsenal. They’re frankly delicious and less bad for the heart than the deep-fried variety. They are also what I produce to accompany a lunch with friends.

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon groundnut or sunflower oil

1 medium potato

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 220°C and place a pan of water on to boil. Coat a baking tray with the oil and place at the top of the oven to heat.

Now, you can either peel the potato or not. The chips look more aesthetically pleasing when peeled but obviously the fibre and vitamin content is higher if the jackets are left on. Up to you. Once peeled (or not), cut the potato lengthways into slices about 1.5 cm thick, then turn these slices on their side and cut into chip shapes, so that they are about 1.5 cm thick. Add the potato slices to the pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes until the edges are just starting to fluff up and the centres offer only a little resistance when stabbed with a sharp knife. Drain and rest the slices in a sieve over the now empty pan for 2 minutes to help steam off any excess water.

Carefully tip the potato slices onto the baking tray of hot fat, making sure to stand back as they may spit a little. Shake the tray to coat the slices with oil and roast for 10 minutes until golden. Check the centres are completely cooked through and soft by piercing with a knife. Do beware – these retain their heat so cut up and cool a little before serving to small mouths.

These can be spiced up with the addition of a shake of paprika, cumin, pepper or dried rosemary. I consult the kids beforehand if it’s solely for their tea.

#normalmum #chips