Since I’m home all day with nothin’ to do except plan a baby shower, paint my nails, and go to the gym, I’ve decided to take over the cooking for the week to give my mom and dad a break. As I said before, I love coming home ’cause there’s so many great ingredients to use up–and part of the fun is that my parents have given me a cooking challenge every day.
Challenges such as “we’d like to use up this leftover buffalo chicken” (quesadillas); “we’ve got a lot of tilapia in the freezer” (baked Parmesan- and almond-crusted fish), and “we have a lot of beets that are gonna go bad soon”–beet chips.
Anytime you have a lot of veggies to use up, chips are a great way to do it (particularly root vegetables and hearty greens). Veggies getting mushy are dried ’til they are crisp, and the water gets cooked out, so you end up with a lot less volume than you started with. Plus, who doesn’t love salty and crunchy chips?
I know I do.
Crispy Beet Chips
- beets, peeled and thinly sliced–as many as you want!
- light spray of olive or canola oil
- salt to taste
Just like kale or chard chips, these are super easy to make. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
I lined a large baking sheet with parchment paper, mostly because it’s my mom’s favorite one and I didn’t want her to freak out that I dried out beets on it–you can do it right on the sheet, too, but the clean up will be a bit tougher.
Slice the beets really thinly, as evenly as you can so they cook at the same time. We had tiny little beets to use up, but big round beets would make beautiful big round chips. We’ll probably make some more later in the week, and I’ll take pictures if we do.
Lay the beet slices out on a baking sheet (they can be close together but not overlapping) and spray lightly with the oil and drizzle with the salt.
These chips will shrink, so it’s always better to go with less salt to start.
Bake on the middle rack, stirring every once in a while, until they are dry and crisp to your taste–mine took about 30 minutes to an hour (I removed the smaller chips and let the bigger ones continue to dry out). Be careful not to burn them, because burned beets taste disgusting. Stir them every once in a while–once they’ve really started to dry out, it’s not as big of a deal if they touch.
We ate an entire bowl of beets in a just a few short hours, plain. Everyone liked them, except for Dad–he didn’t get to try them because we ate them too fast.
Even though he peeled the entire bowl for me.
Another reason I plan on making these later in the week (and I’ll peel ‘em this time, Dad).
I also just got off the phone with Fritz, who is packing up the car and getting ready to drive up here for Christmas! Can’t wait to see that handsome man–and I know Henry is all packed up and ready to go, too.
Mom and Dad went to a school board meeting and requested a treat when they get back…and I’m thinking a grapefruit margarita might just do the trick (don’t you?).
12 comments
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Rande McDaniel @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen
December 20, 2011 at 8:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Veggie chips are the best!!
Heidi @ Food Doodles
December 20, 2011 at 8:50 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Yummy! I love veggie chips. I’ve never made my own beet chips though – I wish I had some in the fridge now
Lauren
December 21, 2011 at 12:35 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Do they really get crispy? I’ve tried a couple nonpotato root veggies, and they only get vaguely crispy with some sogginess towards the centers before burning. :/ Your beets chips look delish, and the kitty is adorable!
Lauren Zietsman
December 22, 2011 at 8:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Mine were all crispy with the exception of a few–try turning the oven heat down lower (250, 300, even) and bake them slower, for longer. The more evenly they are cut, the better–and it’s annoying, but I did remove the smaller ones before the bigger ones were finished so they wouldn’t burn!
Nuts about food
December 21, 2011 at 6:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Never thought of making my own chips from ageing vegetables. These beet chips look scrumptious and I love the color, perfect for the holiday season. Come and pick up a little something waiting for you at my place.
Lauren Zietsman
December 22, 2011 at 8:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks! I love it!
Megan
December 22, 2011 at 12:35 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Found your post on Tastespotting. I love your blog and your photos are lovely! Hope you enjoy the Christmas season. Feel free to pop over and say hi or subscribe sometime at http://www.scrambledmegs.com
I am always looking for new friends, especially if they are into food!
x
Lauren Zietsman
December 22, 2011 at 8:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Thanks…I’ll stop by soon!
nikki
January 24, 2012 at 2:29 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I just ate some organic beetroot chips I got at woolworths and they tasted like poison. my mum said they could be burnt but I’m a bit scared. Is that what they taste like if they are burnt?
Lauren Zietsman
January 24, 2012 at 8:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
when mine were burned they tasted really disgusting…I guess that could be like poison!
Jennifer
January 26, 2012 at 8:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I just made these with organic beets and they are DELICIOUS!!!! I have never had beets until now, and wow was I missing out. I simply put a little sea salt and olive oil on mine and the batch I finished is gone. These are definitely going to become a staple in our house. Mine did not crisp up much except for the edges, but they were pretty thick because I had to hand cut them. I also think the olive oil might have affected the moisture level. Nonetheless, these are a keeper! Now I will just play with oven temperatures to get the right texture.
Sarah
September 27, 2012 at 7:07 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@ Nikki – the variety of beet also effects the flavour of the chip – if the beet slice tastes bad raw – it won’t be improved with salt and drying – better to use a bad tasting beet in some salad or something that will add other flavours rather than feature the beet on its own like the chip.