Make your own “Zapps” Potato Chips?

Before I even start, I have to say—this was entirely my husband’s idea. 

Somewhere, on the interwebz, without even having a Pinterest account to get addicted into, my husband found a blog about making homemade potato chips…in the microwave. And they’re actually pretty healthy…. less than 75 CALORIES per serving.

Mind = blown.

I refer to them as “Zapps” because you “zap” them in the microwave.  Get it?  Get it???  I know, I’m friggin’ hilarious.

And of course because, as you already know since they feature frequently on this blog, Zapp’s are the very bestest potato chips on the planet, made right in Gramercy, Louisiana.

And thankfully, a few places outside of Louisiana are starting to realize how awesome they are, because there are now THREE eateries right here in Springfield, Missouri who actually carry Zapp’s.  Do you realize how awesome this is?  Probably not, but that’s probably because you’ve never had to try to smuggle a bag of potato chips in your luggage without pulverizing them or having them pop on the plane.  Seriously.  Not fun.

But as much as I love Zapp’s chips (okay, okay, ANY potato chip), they are generally NOT GOOD for you. Lots of fried fat, lots of salt, lots of preservatives, lots of artificial mono-di-gly-whatzahoozits and Yellow 5 (seriously, it’s in everything). 

But How does THIS look in comparison?

1 serving of Zapp’s Cajun Crawtator chips (1.5 oz) = 220 calories, 12 g fat

1 serving of our homemade chips (1/2 potato, or about 2.8 oz) = 72.5 calories, 2.2 g fat

Seriously.

(yes….I use the word “seriously” WAY too much.)

ANYWAY… without further ado…. let’s make with the chips.

Ingredients:

1 potato, washed, skin-on (Yukon Gold was recommended, but we used a large red potato), sliced thin with a mandolin (or the long skinny side of your shredder)

Olive oil cooking spray (or olive oil in a hand-pump mister, like this one that I love) 

Your favorite seasonings (we used cracked black pepper & sea salt on half, and Cajun seasoning on the other half)

 

Directions:

Step One: Let your husband do all the work, because you’re holding the camera. :D

Step Two: Lightly spray the WELL-CLEANED* glass turntable from your microwave (because that thing gets gross, yo) with olive oil, and then evenly place your sliced potatoes on it.

Then lightly spritz the facing-up-side of the potatoes with olive oil as well. 

Step Three:  LIGHTLY season the facing-up-side of the potatoes with your seasoning of choice (I think one of those multi-flavor popcorn seasoning shakers could really come in handy for a snack like this). I say lightly because we accidentally overdid it on some of our chips.  Better to underseason now, and then if they’re a little bland after cooking, you can dip them in something, or sprinkle on some extra seasoning.

Step Four:  Place turntable back in your microwave & nuke your potatoes for 2 minutes & 30 seconds.

 

Step Five: Remove turntable, flip the slices, LIGHTLY season the opposite side, and then place the turntable back in the microwave for 2-4 minutes, or until the chips start to brown & get crisp. (Go for 2 minutes to start, then additional 30 second increments as needed.)

 

(The closeup above shows some of the overseasoned chips.  Go lighter than this.)

Step Six: Let cool for a bit, then CHOW DOWN!

I was actually really surprised.  There were a couple slices that were still a little chewy, but for the most part, they were totally crisp & crunchy.  Really delicious.  And since they’ve got just the slightest amount of olive oil on the outside (figure about 10 calories worth of oil per spray, if you’re using a pump mister), they’re pretty low fat!  Opt for salt-free or low sodium seasonings and you’ve got yourself an afternoon snack that hardly anyone could turn down.

 

I totally want to try this again with some sweet potatoes and a little cinnamon sugar.  YUM!

 

NutriFacts:

Calories 72.5

  Total Fat 2.2 g

  Saturated Fat 0.3 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g

  Cholesterol 0.0 mg

  Sodium 290 mg

  Potassium 373 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 13.7 g

  Dietary Fiber 1.3 g

  Sugars 0.5 g

  Protein 2.1 g

 

 

*That’s for you, JoJo.