With each cooking season, a new batch of cookbooks hits the market.
And despite all the myriads of recipes that we have already passionately collected, these new cookbooks still hold so much appeal. Will there be yet another new way to roast a chicken? Or fill a quiche? Or create a vegan carrot cake?
I have the unique pleasure of receiving quite a few of these books in advance, as a sneak preview from the publishers. The one I am currently working through and thoroughly enjoying is Allison Roman’s Nothing Fancy. The title alone satisfies one of my prerequisites for a book that I will enthusiastically turn to: these are recipes that aren’t meant to take days, special equipment, or mental and emotional energy as we try to layer and cut etc to create the perfect cake etc. These are the recipes that have the wow factor, and yet still give the cook some peace of mind and joy as guests are arriving. She has recipes to cover every reason you are entertaining: brunches, feasting, baked potato bar, movie nights etc.
And of course, Allison includes her own favourite tips and tricks for making your gathering moments even more foolproof. But in the end she wants us to know that this is not a book about entertaining. It is more about having people over (there is such a difference in these implied words, isn’t there!!) It isn’t about putting on a show or ending up feeling inauthentic in the process. But hanging out with friends is just totally different. The relaxed unpretentious moments we all crave, where the expectations are at a minimum. I love the line in her introduction: “This is not about living an aspirational life; it’s about living an attainable one.” Mess and all. Burnt crusts, sitting on the floor, the way we live when friends aren’t over. But they are!
Case in point: this dip. Labneh with Chilli Sizzled Scallions. On the outset the name may sound fancy. But stick with me.
Labneh with Chilli Sizzled Scallions
Labneh, which is really just a drained and lightly salted greek yogurt, can easily be replaced with sour cream or full fat greek yogurt, if you so desire. These days you can purchase ready made labneh in the dairy section of your upscale grocers, so making your own is one less worry. And if you’re a sour cream lover, then use it. Or guess what- use a combo of the above! I have, and it works just fine. Here’s a great method for making homemade Labneh: Master Class Ottolenghi’s Labneh
The Sizzled part of the name comes from taking finely chopped scallions and chilli flakes, as well as chives or cilantro (I ran out of cilantro and used parsley- worked just fine) and slowly heating them with olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. The scallions will eventually start to sizzle and frizzle, and the chilli flakes will turn the olive oil a lovely hue. Remove it from the heat, let it cool down, taste and then season it with salt and pepper.
This concoction will get drizzled over the labneh which has been flavoured with some bright lemon juice, as well as a touch of salt and pepper. Swirl it around just to get it to start mingling together. The flavour is not unlike a spicy ranch onion dip, in the best way possible.
Of course, you can use this with a crudités platter, with baked potatoes (I’ve used it with crispy smashed baby potatoes) or naturally, potato chips! So I figured that this might be a great time to share with you guys my homemade baked potato chip recipe.
Baked Potato Chips
This is one of those recipes that took so many tries to get right. It is all about get the the thickness correct. Too thin and they end up being too oily and tearing when you try to remove them from the baking sheet. Too thick and they are more on the way to a flat french fry. But finally, I nailed it.
1/8 inch. Not less, and truly, not too much more. You could go up to 1/6 inch, but then you run the risk of it being too meaty and not feeling like a potato chip. Ideally you want to use a mandolin for this step. These days you can get really great mandolins for a quite reasonable price. And once you have one, you’ll be surprised how often you will use it.
Take the sliced potato rounds (I always use medium sized Yukon Gold or yellow fleshed potatoes) and soak them in water to keep them from oxidizing before you are ready to get them into the oven. Dry them off well, and toss with the slightest amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. And if you so desire, go to town and add tex-mex seasoning, espelette pepper, chilli powder, etc. Or even just some garlic powder or chopped rosemary. These will get laid out onto a lightly oiled or sprayed baking sheet and baked in a 400F oven. Every 10 minutes, turn them over. Keep doing this till they get crunchy and golden, with some edges starting to brown. This could take 25 minutes or more, depending on your oven and how thick you sliced your potatoes. Eventually they will turn the perfect colour and texture.
The perfect dip and chip for movie or tv binging night!
If you want other dips to drag these chips through, check out my Tyrokafteri, aka Spicy Feta Dip Pistachio Feta Dip, Herbed Skyr Dip
Love Jen
Labneh with Chilli Sizzled Scallions and Baked Potato Chips
Creamy labneh or yogurt is transformed into a kicky onion dip with sautéed scallions and chilli flakes. The perfect dip for crispy homemade potato chips!
Ingredients
Labneh with Chilli Sizzled Scallions
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 4 scallions, trimmed to just the white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, chives or parsley plus extra for garnish
- flakey sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 cups labneh, or full fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Baked Potato Chips
- 4 medium Yukon Gold or yellow fleshed potatoes scrubbed clean, you can leave the skins on
- 1 tsp olive oil plus extra for brushing the baking sheets
- kosher salt
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
Labneh with Chilli Sizzled Scallions
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Heat the olive oil, scallions, chilli flakes and cilantro in a small pot or pan over medium-low heat. Cook, swirling occasionally until the scallions and red pepper flakes start to visually and audibly sizzle and frizzle. The oil may also take on an orange hue.
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Remove from the heat and let cool enough to taste without burning your mouth. Season with salt and pepper.
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Combine the labneh and lemon juice in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Spoon this into your serving bowl. Drizzle with the scallion mixture, swirling the two together slightly. Garnish with some extra chopped cilantro, or chives.
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You can make the oil ahead of time and store in the fridge. The labneh can also be seasoned ahead of time. Combine just before serving. You will need to remove the oil a good hour before hand though, in case the olive oil has solidified at all in the fridge.
Baked Potato Chips
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Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray two or more baking sheets with a thin layer of oil. Alternately, brush about 1/4 tsp of oil all over the surface. Set aside.
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Slice the potatoes into 1/8 inch to 1/6 inch rounds. Place them into a bowl of cold water. When ready to bake, drain them well. Dry on a tea towel to remove any water.
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Place the potatoes into a large bowl (you may need to work in batches) and toss with a total of 1 tsp of olive oil, and approximately 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. They should be evenly coated, but not too much oil at all.
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Lay out the rounds onto the baking sheets, (may need to work in batches) Bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes.
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Remove and using a spatula, turn the chips over. Bake for another 10 minutes.
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Repeat the process every 10 minutes till the chips are crispy and golden edged. If you find some are getting browned quicker than others, they can be removed to a cooling wire rack.
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Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with more flakey salt if desired. Cool all the chips on a rack.
Recipe Notes
The dip should easily feed 4 to 8 depending on how you are serving it.
The chips are enough for 4 people.
If baking up one potato, toss them in 1/4 tsp olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
You can add chilli powder, tex-mex powder, garlic powder etc to the tossing before they get laid out on the baking sheet.
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