Some local chefs are thinking outside the bag—at least, when it comes to potato chips. Goodbye, brand names. Hello, chips made in the restaurant kitchen. Places like The Dogwood Restaurant, Todd Conner’s, McFaul’s IronHorse Tavern at Sanders’ Corner, and Heavy Seas Alehouse are among those frying up their own crispy spud slices. Matt Seeber, executive chef at Heavy Seas Alehouse, says, “If I can do it myself in-house, then why not?”
He uses an unlikely ingredient—dried green mango powder—to differentiate his. “We wanted to do something off the beaten path, not the usual barbecue thing that people expect,” he says.
Who invented potato chips? Most stories credit George Crum with the discovery in 1853. He was working as a chef in Saratoga Springs, NY, when he became exasperated with a customer who kept sending back French fries, claiming they were too thick. He then thinly sliced potatoes before cooking them, to the diner’s delight.
