Carrot Chips

I seem to have become the resident recipe tester among the group of friends who regularly read this blog. So it’s with a bit of bemusement that I write up this recipe this week.

A good friend in California had posted this recipe on Facebook, when another mutual friend chimed in that I should be the one to try it out first. And so I am.  And after last week’s flop with the kale chips, these carrot chips seemed a possible path to soothing a slightly bruised ego. (God grant me humility.)

The technique is fairly simple. I remember Tyler Florence saying at the 2010 Boston Book Festival that, if you want your children to eat vegetables, all you need to do is to cut them up, drizzle a little olive oil over them, and roast them in the onion for a time. You’ll get sweet, caramelized vegetables that kids will fight over to eat. These carrot chips work on the same principle.

And the results? The smell is lovely – sweet, but not overpowering. The taste – delicious. Not as sweet as sweet potato fries, but a nice interplay of salt, pepper, and sweetness. Definitely a keeper recipe!

Of course, if you want to dip these chips in, say, a dressing, they’d be lovely – but probably not as healthy. I enjoyed mine as is, without any sauce.

The original recipe called for 12 minutes of cooking time. I found that I needed closer to 20 minutes, but that may just be a quirk of my stove. Check after 12 minutes, and if the carrots need more cooking time, don’t hesitate to leave them in for a little bit longer.

Carrot Chips

Carrots, the number depending on how many you want to eat
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Wash the carrots and dry them.  Cut them into thick planks lengthwise, and put on an ungreased baking tray.  Toss the slices with a little olive oil, salt, and black pepper. When the oven is hot, bake the carrots for 12 minutes, until crispy.  Remove from the oven, let them cool a bit on a wire rack, and enjoy.