Munchy Monday: Baked Potato Crisps

With winter settling into it's stride and the weather turning cooler, my urge to make good food that warms up the whole house, as well as our bellies, has ramped up. On Friday night, Rick and I hosted our monthly art critique group at our house and I made some appetizers to feed our guests. The menu included baked brie with pineapple jam, two fantastic cheeses from the Kerrygold line with crackers, mini quiche and a small veggie tray. I also intended to make make a platter of baked potato crisps with the works from my copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. 

Now, when I started posting on this blog one of my goals was to strive for realness with whatever readers happened upon my musings. That is why I can't lie to you. 

While attempting to make these potato delights for my friends I accidentally set the inside of  my stove on fire. 

Don't worry. A dash of baking soda (because you're never supposed to throw water on a grease fire...apparently) and all was good. The fire was extinguished as quickly as it started. Unfortunately, that sure put the damper on the potato crisps!  

Not one to be discouraged, I attempted the same recipe last night and it turned out splendidly! I suggest using a cookie sheet with a lip to catch any wayward butter that might make it's way to the bottom of your stove and ignite in fiery blaze of deliciousness. 

I think these morsels would be perfect for your next event, whether that is a Super Bowl party or a book club meeting.  These crisps come together really easily (done in about 45 minutes, start to finish), are made with ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right now! They also have all the appeal of a baked potato or potato skin appetizer, but are lighter and much easier to control your portions. Not to mention being a real crowd pleaser! 

I'm not going to post the full recipe here, though it's simple enough I'm sure you could put it together based purely on the picture above. I encourage you to check out a copy of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for yourself for the full recipe and so many others! I happen to think it is definately worth having in your collection, but you could always check you local library stacks to save a little money and see if it's a good fit for you! 

In the mean time, check out the Smitten Kitchen online  for great recipes and food photography. You won't be disappointed!