These are my downfall—as are french fries, sweet potato fries, or anything else that involves spuds and a deep-fat fryer. I can resist the fudgiest brownies, chewiest cookies, or even the loveliest threelayer cakes, but I cannot walk away from a single salty potato chip. I’m a believer in the golden rule of party giving: Feed your guests as you would like to be fed yourself. No wonder my cocktail parties invariably include potato chips. I often serve them with Chipotle Ketchup (page 254), but sometimes I crave them bare with just a light shower of plain or fancy salt and a large glass of good red wine.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　2 pounds baking potatoes, such as russet or Yukon Gold (about 2 large)

　　8 cups vegetable oil

　　Kosher salt

　　

Step 1

Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water. Peel the potatoes, or just scrub them well under running water. Using a mandoline or a sharp paring knife, cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices and drop them into the bowl of water. Refrigerate the potatoes for about 15 minutes or overnight. (You can skip this step, but it produces crispier potato chips.)

　　

Step 2

In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°F on a deep-fat thermometer. While the oil heats, remove the potato slices from the water and drain them on a layer of paper towels. Cover with more towels and pat the slices dry so they don’t splatter when they hit the hot fat and spew scalding drops of oil in your general direction. Using a slotted spoon, lower small batches of potato slices into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, or darker, depending on your preference, 3 to 4 minutes. (Monitor the temperature of the oil so it stays at 350°F or the chips will be greasy.) Remove the chips from the hot oil, sprinkle with salt, and drain on paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature.

　　

variation

Step 3

If a stockpot filled with hot oil intimidates you, try baked chips. (They won’t match the crisp wonderfulness of their deep-fried cousins, but they are healthier and mighty tasty.) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the sliced potatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking liner. Spray or brush good-quality olive oil on both sides of the slices and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway through the baking time, until they are golden. Sprinkle with salt and serve straight out of the oven.

　　

do it early

Step 4

These can be made ahead, but only on the same day you plan to serve them.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.