Vegan Cook Books: Baked Sriracha Potato Chips

I’ve made these Baked Sriracha Potato Chips several days in a row now. Oh yes, I like to test my recipes a few times before posting them, but I think this time it’s because these are a little bit addictive. They’re both crispy and spicy, two of my favorite qualities in a snack.

Spice and I

I haven’t always been a fan of spicy food. Mostly because I didn’t grow up eating it. Back in the day, I used to think Tombstone cheese pizza was spicy. (Yes, really.) Indian and Thai food were not on my radar and any dish involving jalapenos was unthinkable to me.

For this, I blame my mom. She never made us anything spicy because she didn’t like spicy food herself. My brothers and I still like to laugh about the time we went to Chili’s and our mom got upset about the food being spicy. I was in high school at the time, when every embarrassment seems so epic and horrific, and I remember wishing so desperately that I could disappear as she complained (loudly!) to the waiter that her chicken quesadillas were spicy. And then—and then!—she asked to speak with the manager.

Because the chicken quesadillas were spicy.

At a restaurant with a chili pepper in its logo.

(My mom is going to be so mad that I’m writing about this.)

When I began dating my husband, that’s when I started sneaking little bites of the spicy food he ordered. And soon, those little bites turned into bigger bites and then I was ordering spicy dishes for myself. I still don’t like things that are too spicy, but as long as the dominant flavor isn’t “searing pain”, we’re good.

About the Recipe

With sriracha, I’ve found that a little bit goes a long way. I think a single teaspoon is just perfect in these baked sriracha potato chips. It gives them a kick without it being unpleasant. It’s a slow heat that creeps up on you—at first, you think, “This needs more sriracha.” And then, “Oh, hi sriracha. There you are!” Of course, if you like things super spicy, you might want to up this to a teaspoon and a half or even two. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Because this isn’t Chili’s and there’s no manager for you to complain to.

Baked Sriracha Potato Chips

These spicy homemade sriracha potato chips are absolutely addictive!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

cooking spray or oil mister
1 tbsp peanut oil (canola or vegetable oil would work too)
1 tsp sriracha
1 large Russet potato, washed and cut into 1/8-inch slices (use a mandoline slicer if you have one)
salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or oil.
Line potato slices on baking sheets. Whisk together peanut oil and sriracha in a small bowl. It takes a while to fully incorporate the sriracha into the oil—be persistent!
Brush potato slices with sriracha oil mixture and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10–20 minutes—baking time depends on oven temperature and thickness of slices. It’s really important that after 10 minutes, you check on these every minute or so because they go from perfectly done to burnt really quickly! They’ll be done when the edges begin to brown—some parts may still be a little bit soft, but that’s to be expected with baked potato chips. Serve right away—homemade potato chips don’t store well.

Notes

For crispier chips, soak your potatoes first. After you’ve sliced the potatoes, put them in a bowl and cover them with ice cold water. Let them sit for about an hour or two, then drain and rinse the potato slices. Line them on paper towels and dry thoroughly. This removes some of the starch from the potatoes. I tried making these Baked Sriracha Potato Chips with the soaking step and without; they are delicious either way you make them, but soaking the potatoes first definitely resulted in a crispier chip.

This recipe was originally published on 5 July 2012.