Smoky Baked Sweet Potato Chips

The sweet potato is truly a versatile vegetable. It is eaten all over the world in a variety of cultivars. It’s one of a few plants that is 100 percent edible—you can eat the leaves, vines and root (the potato). It’s wonderful in sweet and savory dishes, stores well and is simple to grow. The best part is that the sweet potato is one of the world’s healthiest foods. 

What makes the sweet potato so much more healthy than a russet? It is one of the best sources of beta-carotene. One medium sweet potato provides the body with the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A (beta-carotene), which helps with eye health and sun damage. It’s also a great source of fiber. Sweet potatoes have double the amount of fiber of a regular potato. It is rich in vitamin C and E. These vitamins play an important role in the health of your skin, disease prevention and longevity. 

How to Grow Sweet Potatoes 

Sweet potatoes are easily grown from “slips”, which are the sprouts from the potatoes. They prefer a loamy soil with a pH between 5 and 6. It’s best to plant the slips well after the last frost date when the air and soil are dependably warm. Make sure you give them plenty of room to grow; the plants will produce a lush vine that will take over your garden in no time. Harvest the potatoes when the vines start to turn brown. Sweet potatoes need to cure in hot, humid weather for 10 days in order for the sugars to develop. 

Smoky Oven Baked Sweet Potato Chips

• 1 large sweet potato, washed and scrubbed
• Olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of a smoke seasoning combo or salt and pepper
• Mandoline or food processor with slicing blade
• Large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F.

Slice the sweet potatoes with a mandoline fitted with a thin blade. You can also slice the potatoes in a food processor fitted with a slicing blade.

Put the sliced potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil.

Toss the sliced potatoes by hand.

Make sure the slices are coated with the oil and not drenched.

Sprinkle the smoke seasoning onto the oil coated sweet potato slices. Try to get the spices coated evenly on the slices.

Spread the sweet potato slices on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Flip the slices and then bake for an additional 30-40 minutes until the potato slices look completely toasted.

Allow the chips to cool and crisp up on the baking sheet before serving.