Oven Roasted Potato Chips with Homemade Tomato Ketchup

You know how sometimes, a piece of dark chocolate is all that is needed to set the world straight again. Well, I feel the same way about potato chips! I am yet to meet a person who doesn't enjoy a portion of chips, whether it be as a side for dinner or alongside that cold drink, while rooting for their favourite team!

 

Now, if it were not for a small issue of thickening waistlines and slowing metabolism, I'd reckon we'd indulge ourselves more often than we currently do. But there is hope with oven-roasted chips being the answer we've been looking for! 

 

Instead of wasting gallons of cooking oil and risking a potential fire hazard and feeling like the unhealthiest person around, try this method. It uses only a tablespoon of oil. Yup, one tablespoon! Oven roast those chips and you can enjoy one of food's great creations guilt-free! Eeps..that sounded so much like a cheesy commercial!

 

But, honestly, the end result of these chips is just how you'd like them. Crisp and golden brown on the outside and fluffy and soft inside. And without the guilt of frying and all the health risks that come with it. This recipe blanches them before roasting them and ensures a much, shorter cooking time too.

 

I did also try my hand at a homemade tomato ketchup. Why? Because its something we food bloggers do. Try and recreate something that is shop bought and then talk about how easy it is to make it and how the supermarkets are over-pricing everything! That's just the way it is!

 

However, this ketchup got mixed reviews. I, personally enjoyed it. You could taste the sweetness of the fresh tomatoes and the various other spices that had gone into flavouring it. There was a complex flavour profile that made the supermarket version seem bland in comparison.

 

 

But, my brother-in-law who is extremely fond of his shop bought ketchup wasn't impressed. The shop bought stuff has been his constant companion since his boarding school days and through University,  when it helped make many a bland meal, palatable. Nothing could trump it. Clearly, it was an emotive issue and he was in no mood to switch loyalties. I'll leave it to your discretion on whether you'd like to give it a go!

 

I will insist that you give these chips a shot.  Because life's too short to deny yourself simple pleasures!

 

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Oven Roasted Potato Chips with Homemade Tomato Ketchup

Oven-Roasted Potato Chips

 

Recipe courtesy :  Gordon Ramsay for BBC Good Food.

 

Ingredients: 

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• chopped fresh herbs like thyme, celery (optional)

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 250 deg C. Cut each potato into 1cm-wide slices, then into 1cm-thick sticks. Blanch in a large pan of boiling water for 3 mins, then drain well.
• Shake the potatoes out onto a roasting pan, drizzle with oil, ensuring each chip is evenly coated.
• Season well with salt and pepper and if you are using, the chopped herbs.
• Bake for about 15-20 mins, turning the potatoes at least twice, until golden brown and crisp.

Homemade Tomato Ketchup

Ingredients: 

• 1 kg tomatoes
• 4 pods cardamom
• 1 piece cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 15 gms ginger
• 50 gms sugar
• 4 black peppercorns
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 100 mls white vinegar
•  

Directions:

• Wash the fully ripe tomatoes and cut them into large chunks. In a thick-bottomed pan, let the tomatoes cook for 5 minutes, until they release their juices. Take care to see that the tomatoes don't 'catch' at the bottom of the pan
• Chop the onion, garlic and ginger roughly.
• Add them and all other ingredients to the tomatoes.
• Simmer and cook the mixture, till the tomatoes have softened and mixture is thick. Mash the mixture.
• Strain the mixture through a sieve and then store in sterilised containers.