Did you know that potato chips can be a healthy snack or side dish? When fried in grass-fed beef tallow or lard from pastured pigs, potato chips are a great source of fat-soluble vitamins. Pastured lard is the second best source of vitamin D, right after cod liver oil. People have been cooking with these oils for thousands of years, back when heart disease and cancer were rare.
These potato chips are also a great source of saturated fat. Yes, I said saturated fat. There are many benefits of saturated fat, including:
- Saturated fatty acids constitute at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what gives our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.
- They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.
- They lower Lp(a), a substance in the blood that indicates proneness to heart disease. They protect the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.
- They enhance the immune system.
- They are needed for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids.
- Elongated omega-3 fatty acids are better retained in the tissues when the diet is rich in saturated fats.
- Saturated 18-carbon stearic acid and 16-carbon palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart, which is why the fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated. The heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
- Short- and medium-chain saturated fatty acids have important antimicrobial properties. They protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.
Unfortunately, these days, store-bought potato chips are fried in highly processed, refined, rancid, deodorized vegetable oils. Even if the bag of chips says they use sunflower oil instead of soybean oil, that's still bad for you. Sunflower oil goes rancid very easily and should not be heated to high temperatures. With the amount of rancid oils we eat today, it is no wonder heart disease is the number one killer, with cancer following close behind.
Tallow and lard really are the perfect fats for deep frying, since they are extremely heat stable. Coconut oil is also very heat stable, although it's smoke point is not quite as high. If you use coconut oil for this recipe, you can't heat the oil quite as hot, and your chips will not be quite as crispy. They'll still be delicious though, and coconut oil is so good for you.
Ingredients
Potatoes, russet, organic, large (4)
Grass-fed tallow or lard, or refined, expeller-pressed coconut oil (1/4-1/2 cup) — where to buy coconut oil
Sea salt
Equipment
Candy/frying thermometer
Clean kitchen towels or paper towels
Optional: Mandoline
Directions
1. Scrub potatoes clean, or peel if desired.
2. Using a very sharp knife, or a mandoline, slice the potatoes as thinly as desired, but evenly. Thick-cut homemade potato chips are fabulous, so don't too too obsessed with thinness. The potato chips need to cook evenly, so evenness is the key here.
3. Rinse the potato slices and soak them in cold filtered water for at least half an hour,or up to 8 hours in the fridge.
4. Drain the potato slices and dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel or layers of paper towels.
5. In a large heavy pan, or pot (I prefer to use a pot – the high sides keep the oil from splattering), heat about 1/2-inch of lard, tallow, or refined expeller-pressed coconut oil. If using coconut oil, you can go up to 355 degrees. If using lard or tallow, take it up to 375 degrees.
If you don't have a candy/fryer thermometer, don't worry. Just drop a dried slice of potato in the coconut oil; if it sizzles immediately, but gently, the oil is the right temperature.
6. Add a single layer of potato slices to the hot coconut oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per batch.
7. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the potato chips to a layer of paper towels or a cooling rack set over a baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with sea salt or other seasonings, if desired, and let cool completely before eating (they crisp up as they sit)
8. Repeat frying in batches until all potatoes are cooked.
Photo Credit: roboppy, on Flickr
They do look pretty good but Ive always been more of a fry girl! That does mean I LOVE how the WPF lifestyle allows me to cook wedges covered in duck fat on a wire rack in the oven… until they get SUPER crispy! TOO GOOD!!
http://wineandbutter.com/
xx
Are acrylamides a concern with these deep-fried chips?
I’m not sure but i think acrylamides is caused by the chemical reaction from starch an hot oil … steps # 3. “Rinse the potato slices and soak them in cold filtered water for at least half an hour,or up to 8 hours in the fridge.” and #4. “4. Drain the potato slices and dry them thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel or layers of paper towels.” should remove a lot of starch from the potato. I think
Oh WOW I can’t believe you are posting this today. Yesterday, my husband decided he wanted to make chips at home so I was online trying to find a traditional foods recipe and came up with Nourished Kitchen’s (http://nourishedkitchen.com/homemade-potato-chips/). She has you soak/ferment the potatoes for 1-3 days in whey to reduce starch and acrylamide. Heating up lard in the frying pan tonight, very excited!!
yes! we love our home made chips! I’ve been using lard from our pigs last year but am excited to make a batch or two from the grass steer we just bought. The tallow looks like egg yolks! we sometimes add smoked paprika.
Can the grass-fed fat be safely reused?
Yes you can reuse it several times
Thanks! I was wanting to do beef tallow and someone told me it had a low smoke point this clears it up. Yay!
Could you use Palm Shortening?
Yes just make sure it is not hyrdogenated and make sure it is from a sustainable source
Wow! I have never, ever seen anyone mention Lp(a)! High levels of Lp(a) run in my family and has resulted in so much heart disease and young death. Of course, everyone, including my mother, went low fat, high carb and lots of drugs. And yet still, they were not healthy! I am taking a food is medicine approach and have enjoyed eating my way to health. It is so freeing to NOT worry about saturated fats. I’m lucky enough to belong to a farm club that sells potato chips cooked in lard, but this looks like a fun recipe to try at home too. Thank you!
What does it mean if the chips are soggy?
Ciao, Pavil
Did you use a thermometer to check the temperature? Usually I would guess something fried coming out soggy meant the fat wasn’t hot enough.