The potato will always remain the OG starch-based chip. But if you need to convince your significant other that there’s a healthy alternative – pumpkin chips might be your decoy. They’re not better for you, but they are orange. So, there’s that.
Makes 1 large bowl
Ingredients
250 g (9 oz) pumpkin (winter squash), peeled and trimmed
vegetable oil, for deep frying
Thyme salt
2 tablespoons salt flakes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
zest of 1 lemon
Directions
First, make the thyme salt. Preheat the oven to 140ºC (275ºF). Combine the ingredients in a small bowl, mixing with your fingers to crush everything together. Spread the mixture on a small baking tray, then transfer to the oven, at the same time turning the oven off.
Leave for 2–3 hours, then transfer to a small airtight container.
Layer a baking tray with paper towel and set aside.
To make the chips, use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to cut the pumpkin into very thin slices, then lay them on a clean, dry dish cloth. Use a second cloth to pat them dry.
Heat the oil to around 190ºC (375ºF), or until a cube of bread turns golden brown after 10 seconds in the oil. In batches, fry the pumpkin until crisp, which should take between 1 and 3 minutes, depending on how thin they have been sliced. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon, place on the paper towel and sprinkle over some thyme salt while they are still hot.
Serve immediately. Leftover salt will keep for 3 months in an airtight container.
Oh My Gourd by Jack Hallow, published by Smith Street Books, US $19.95 / CAN $26.95, available 5 September 2023 Photo Credit: Alamy Stock Photo / Zoonar GmbH
