Chapters and Cravings

You know those little kitchen tricks that somebody casually mentions and then they stay tucked away in your brain forever? This is one of those.

The idea of turning potato peelings into homemade crisps actually started at work a couple of years ago. I’d peeled nearly two whole bags of potatoes ready for the following day’s meal, leaving me with an enormous pile of skins that would usually have gone straight into the food-waste bin.

That was when my kitchen supervisor told me about her little trick: coat the potato peelings in oil, season them and cook them until crispy.

Potato peelings turned into crisps?

Obviously, we had to try it!

Because we’re a healthy-eating nursery, we couldn’t add salt to the potato skins on-site. Instead, we seasoned them with a little paprika and black pepper before cooking them until beautifully crisp.

They weren’t served to the children—these were a cheeky little kitchen treat cooked especially for the nursery staff to enjoy!

And they were amazing.

It was such a simple idea, but one I’d genuinely never considered before. Something that would normally have been thrown away was transformed into a surprisingly delicious staffroom snack using little more than oil and a couple of seasonings.

Naturally, I brought the idea home with me.

With a bag of potatoes sitting in my cupboard and the final week of the summer holidays approaching, I decided it was time to make another batch.

I was already peeling the potatoes to use for dinner, so making the crisps didn’t require buying anything extra. It also meant I was getting two things from one bag of potatoes: dinner and a bonus homemade snack.

I lightly coated the potato skins with oil. You don’t want them swimming in it—just enough to give each piece a thin coating and help the seasoning stick.

I still had some homemade French fry seasoning left over, so this was the perfect opportunity to use it again. I sprinkled it generously over the potato skins and gave everything a really good mix, making sure all those twisty little pieces were coated in the oil and seasoning.

The French fry seasoning added plenty of savoury flavour, but you certainly don’t need to use that exact mixture. I’ve made potato peel crisps with nothing more than salt before, and they worked perfectly.

That’s one of the best things about making them: you can use almost any seasoning you already have in the cupboard.

What I Used

• Fresh potato peelings
• A small amount of oil
• Leftover homemade French fry seasoning

Oven temperature: 240ºC
Approximate cooking time: 45 mins – 1 hour

Depending on how many potatoes you’re peeling, you might need a few baking trays. I peeled an entire bag for dinner, so there were plenty of skins to spread out!

Giving the peelings enough space is important. If they’re piled on top of one another, they’re more likely to steam than crisp. Using an extra tray or two might create a little more washing-up, but it’s worth it for properly crispy results.

You’ll also want to keep an eye on them towards the end of the cooking time. Those thinner little pieces can go from beautifully golden to slightly too enthusiastic very quickly!

Once cooked, the potato peel crisps can be enjoyed warm from the oven or left to cool completely.

They’re especially tempting when they’re freshly cooked and the seasoning is still warm and fragrant, but they’re also delicious cold. Pop them into a serving bowl for an easy snack, enjoy them alongside sandwiches or burgers, or simply leave them within reach for everyone to pick at.

Although, be warned: they’re very easy to nibble every time you wander through the kitchen.

I love that this idea began in the nursery kitchen after peeling an almost ridiculous number of potatoes.

My kitchen supervisor could easily have let all those skins be thrown away, but instead, she showed me how a little oil, paprika and black pepper could transform them into a surprisingly delicious snack for the nursery staff.

Now it’s a clever little kitchen trick I can use at home whenever potatoes are on the menu.

There’s no special equipment, no long list of ingredients and no need to buy anything fancy. It’s simply a case of using something that would ordinarily end up in the bin, adding a little oil and raiding the seasoning cupboard.

Not bad for a pile of potato peelings!

Have you ever turned potato peelings into crisps, or do you have another clever way of using food scraps that would usually be thrown away?

I’d love to know what seasoning you’d choose for your batch. Would you keep things simple with salt, reach for something smoky and spicy, or completely raid the seasoning cupboard?

Let me know in the comments!