My apartment is quiet. I am at a loss.
We’re just coming off ten days of school vacation—which, combined with the very noisy, wolf-whistling roofers atop the building right outside my bedroom office window, made for extremely low productivity last week. Unless, of course, you count the trips to the Intrepid, the New York Hall of Science, the New York Transit Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and several playgrounds. If you’re counting hours spent shlepping around after a five-year-old, well, I crushed it.
But I’m talking about paying work, the non-Ann-Romney variety. Of which I did almost none for ten straight days. So now that the kid’s back in school and the roofers are finally gone, you’d think I’d be raring to go today, right?
Eh, not so much.
Instead, I’m playing that game—you know the one—where you wander in and out of the kitchen, opening cabinets and refrigerator in search of something, anything, interesting. But since we’re coming off Passover and I haven’t yet replenished our chametz munchies, I ain’t got much. I do have the starchy symbol of Passover (other than matzo, I mean): raw potatoes.
I knew you could make chips in the microwave, so that’s just what I did. And to make them a little more interesting, I dusted them with grated Parm for the last minute or so of nuking.
My apartment’s not so quiet any more. Now it’s filled with the satisfyingly loud crunch of homemade, microwave potato chips. And once I’m done crunching, I’ll work on bringing home the bacon.
Microwave Parmesan Potato Chips
Serves 1
1 medium potato, washed but not peeled (I like Yukon Gold, but regular baking potatoes work well, too)
Olive oil, for brushing, or cooking spray
Salt
Grated Parmesan cheese
- Fill a large bowl with cold water. Using a mandoline or large knife, slice potatoes as thinly as possible, and transfer to bowl. Allow them to soak for a minute or two, while you line a large, microwave-safe plate with paper towels.
- Rinse the potatoes and dry thoroughly. Place in a single layer on the prepared plate—you may need to do this in two batches. Coat lightly with oil, and sprinkle with salt.
- Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes, then flip the chips and sprinkle with a little more salt. Microwave on HIGH for another 3 minutes—keep a close watch, and pull out the plate when they’re beginning to brown in the center. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and cook on HIGH, watching the whole time, until nicely browned. Depending on your knife skills, they may cook unevenly—stop if you need to, and remove any that are on the verge of too dark, then continue until all are done. Allow to cool slightly before devouring the entire thing.
MAKE BABY FOOD: For babies on finger food, use very little salt with a portion of the chips, and remove those while still slightly chewy.