Stained Glass (or Herb) Potato Chips

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Hello!

How are you today?

Feeling sassy?

I hope so! (Me? I'm stupendous! Cannot complain~)

Are you prepared for the onslaught of holiday delights? Are you ready to start indulging like none-other?

Perhaps you are in need of the taste appeal of a potato chip?

I thought so.

These are - without a doubt - the fussiest and silliest things to make...and there is even an easier way to do them that involves a few sheet pans and a brick, but I like this method and am here to share - yes indeedy.

It does require a Mandoline slicer though, for sure. So bust that pretty thing out and rejoice that you have an excuse to use it. And if you haven't got one...um...you should skip this. Because as much as I would like to say you can accomplish this with a good sharp knife...you can't. (Shrug.) But onward anyway!

So this recipe is for stained glass potato chips. Sometimes called potatoes Maxine (but only by someone I'm not entirely sure I trust with culinary nomenclature.)But you know...it's the method when you sandwich herbs in between two paper thin slices of Idaho potato. So it looks purdy and has a hint of fabulous. Because in these economic times, potatoes are still cheap and cheerful even if not much else is.

So try this my little peaches and taste the salty-fried joy.

2 large Russett/Idaho/Burbank potatoes
2 cups clarified butter or canola oil (go for the butter if you can)
1/2 cup assorted fresh herbs (obviously I used fennel fronds and oregano leaves. Just make sure you use soft herbs and nothing woody that will tear the potatoes...like rosemary)
Salt

Slice the potatoes in to almost translucent thin slices. Keeping pairs together.
Lay one slice down and add some herbs. Flatten with your fingers and top with the matching slice. Continue with the rest of the potatoes.

Heat the butter/oil and add the chips two or three at a time. Fry until golden. Remove to a cooling rack (good idea to put that rack over a paper towel or cloth so your counter stays clean.) Salt and continue frying the rest of the chips.

© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" http://www.freshcatering.blogspot.com If you are not reading this at the aforementioned URL or in your RSS feed, the site you are looking at are violating my copyright. And that's rude.

As dictated by French law, the third Thursday of November -- is the first day of the year when Beaujolais Nouveau can be sold. The red wine, made from Gamay grapes, is the first wine of the new season. Though critics long have dismissed Beaujolais Nouveau as unsophisticated, the wine surged in popularity in the 1980s and '90s. More recently, subtle price increases in the relatively inexpensive wine, along with competition from other cheap wines, have chipped away at sales. Distributors and wine shops expect sales to drop slightly, maintaining the downward trend that began earlier this decade. Last year, 2.55 million bottles of the wine were shipped to the U.S. That's down from 3.9 million bottles sold in 2001.The average price this season will be $12.99 to $14.99. That's up about a dollar from last year, he says. Sales for the 2007 season were down 12% from 2001. - WSJ

History of the potato? Sure! Right here.