These Manchego potato chips are made by gilding store-bought or homemade potato chips with melted Manchego cheese. An irresistible snack perfect for sharing with cocktails or before dinner.
Magnificent. Marvie. Munchable. Manchego-y. Mmmm. That’s what we think about these glammed-up Manchego potato chips. And we swear these ever-so-slightly uppity, wine-friendly, beer-loving, commotion-starting potato chips are a cinch to make. Just don’t forget to pass the napkins and gracefully accept compliments.–Renee Schettler
☞ Contents
Manchego Potato Chips
Ingredients
- 1 bag salted potato chips
- 2 tablespoons smoked olive oil* or regular olive oil (or substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons truffle oil)
- 1/2 cup grated aged Manchego cheese
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt preferably gray salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Dump the chips on a rimmed baking sheet and slide in the oven until warm, at least 10 minutes.
- Shower the potato chips with the Manchego and olive oil and gently toss. Season with salt, if desired, and pepper and toss again.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with lotsa napkins. And, preferably, cocktails.
Notes
*What You Need To Know About Making These Cheesy Potato Chips From Scratch
Wanna make these cheesy potato chips extra extravagant? Make them from scratch. Peel 6 russet (Idaho) potatoes and, using a mandoline or hand-held slicer, shave the potatoes into even paper-thin slices. Soak the slices in cold water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour enough peanut oil into a large, deep pot to reach a depth of 4 inches (10 cm). Turn the heat to medium-high and wait until the oil registers 375°F (190ºC) on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Drain the potatoes and pat the slices completely dry with paper towels. When the oil is holding steady at the desired temperature, carefully add a handful of potato slices to the oil. Cook until the potatoes turn golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. With a fry basket or slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the towel-lined baking sheet and add another handful of potatoes to the hot oil. Repeat until all the potato slices are deep-fried. Sprinkle the cooked potatoes with half the smoked oil or truffle oil, half the cheese, and half the salt and pepper. Gently toss and then sprinkle with the remaining oil, cheese, and seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature. How To Make Your Own Smoked Olive OIl To smoke olive oil at home, place 2 big handfuls of wood chips in a bowl or bucket of water and let them soak for about 30 minutes while you start the fire. Ignite the charcoal in a grill with a cover. When the coals are ready, spread them on the grill. Fill a roasting pan half full with water. Pour 6 cups extra-virgin olive oil into a second roasting pan and add 1 tablespoon juniper berries, rind from 1 orange, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme. With your hand, take the soaked wood chips out of the water and flick them to shake off some excess liquid. Add the wood chips to the coals. Close the grill and let it fill with smoke. Open the grill, and put the water-filled pan on the grill rack. Rest the pan filled with oil and aromatics on top of the water-filled pan. Close the lid and let it smoke for 5 to 7 minutes for a subtle smoke essence or 10 to 15 minutes for a smokier oil. (If it becomes too smoky for your taste, simply dilute it with a little more olive oil.) Take both pans off the coals and set them aside to cool. When the oil is cool, pour it through a paper coffee filter or fine-mesh sieve into a glass jar. Cover tightly and store in a cool, dry place. The smoky flavor will dissipate over time, but it will hold for a good month.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
What a great way to “dress up” potato chips! I used the cheater method and warmed my store-bought potato chips in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes. From there the preparation goes very quickly. It took about 10 minutes to toss the chips with the oil, cheese, salt, and pepper. I couldn’t find hard Manchego cheese, so I used regular Manchego. It didn’t adhere to the chips as well as the hard cheese would’ve. (In lieu of hard Manchego, grated Parmesan would be great.) I also used black truffle oil instead of the smoked olive oil, and it was delicious. Use the pepper; it gives the chips wonderful depth. Black or white truffle salt used in place of the coarse sea salt sends these chips over the top.
Originally published October 9, 2013
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Elsa M. Jacobson
Well, I took the cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater route on this one—and it’s a winner! I used store-bought kettle chips from Trader Joe’s, and purchased the smoked olive oil as well. I followed the cheater’s directions partway, warming the chips in the oven until hot, but I showered them with cheese before placing them in the oven and then sprinkled the oil and black pepper on after removing the chpis from the oven. The chips were already plenty salty, and the Manchego is a bit salty as well, so we used freshly ground black pepper but not any additional salt. There’s no doubt I used more smoked olive oil, Manchego cheese, and freshly ground black pepper than the recipe called for—and the chips were terrific. There wasn’t so much as a single broken chip left over! I served them straight from the oven so the chips were warm at the outset, but cooled to room temperature while we were still eating, and either temperature was good, as would be any temperature in between. This would work just fine with unsmoked olive oil or truffle oil, but was great with the smoked olive oil—well worth either the investment of money to purchase it or the investment of time to make it.