Boulder Canyon: Thanksgiving Kettle Chips

I have to say that I dislike most flavored potato chips. I certainly am intrigued by the potential, like Chicken & Waffles or Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese, but they are usually a major disappointment. Not only do they not taste like the stated flavor, but they don't even taste good. So, when I heard about kettle chips with the flavors of Turkey & Gravy and Pumpkin Pie, I was justifiably wary but also curious. I received media samples of these chips and was pleasantly surprised by what I tasted.

Back in 1994, brothers Don and Jay Poole started Boulder Canyon, with the objective of creating the best potato chip. They had previously been involved in engineering and serving manufacturing equipment for the food industry and one of their clients was a potato chip company. The Poole brothers were intrigued and created a better way of making potato chips. Don and Jay started producing kettle chips, using their new small-batch cooking methods, as well as America-grown potatoes and natural ingredients.

Kettle cooked potato chips use thickly sliced premium potatoes that are slow cooked in small kettles using sunflower and/or safflower oil. They have a crunchy texture and locally, you probably have enjoyed Cape Cod Kettle Chips. Boulder Canyon also now produces Frozen Riced Vegetables, Popcorn, and Speciality Chips made from other ingredients besides potatoes. They also make a series of Seasonal items, such as the summer Sweet Corn Chips and Peach Cobbler Chips. And for Thanksgiving, they offer Turkey & Gravy and Pumpkin Pie.

I hadn't previously tasted any of the Boulder Canyon kettle chips so these Thanksgiving flavored chips were my first experience. It won't be my last.

The Turkey & Gravy kettle chips are crunchy, with a slightly thicker chip than you get with the average potato chip. It is a well-made kettle chip and I can easily see how their basic kettle chip would be appealing all on its own. The ingredient label notes the chips contain sea salt, onion powder, molasses and spices and other information seems to indicate those spices might include sage, thyme and rosemary. Frankly, the chips don't taste like turkey or gravy, but they do bring to mind the typical spices found in Thanksgiving dinner, especially those in stuffing. The savory notes are tasty and may not taste like poultry, but the spice combination works well. They certainly would be an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving feast. They are also one of the best flavored chips I've enjoyed in a long time.

The Pumpkin Pie kettle chips are just as crunchy as the Turkey & Gravy ones, solidifying my thought that the basic kettle chips would be thoroughly appealing. The ingredient label for these chips lists pumpkin, molasses, cinnamon, paprika, and spice. And when you open the bag, a prominent aroma of cinnamon with hints of pumpkin wafts through the air. These chips actually resemble the flavor of pumpkin pie, though the pumpkin flavor is more subdued in these chips with the cinnamon being much more dominant. And the flavors once again work well, a pleasing combination of sweet and salty, which are also addictive. I enjoyed these chips far more than I expected.

Boulder Canyon impressed me with these two flavored kettle chips and now I'll be seeking out more of their products. If you want to bring something different to your Thanksgiving feast, why not bring one or both of these flavored chips. It certainly would also make for one of the easiest Thanksgiving dinners, just open a couple bags of the kettle chips.

300 Best Potato Recipes: All Hail The Spud

It was once referred to as an "edible stone" and "royal orange" though Spanish explorers ultimately gave this item its enduring name. Some people were suspicious of this item as it belongs to the same family as the poisonous deadly nightshade. The Germans once thought it might cause leprosy and the German philosopher Nietzsche felt that a diet predominantly of it led to alcohol use. What is the answer to this riddle?  I am referring to the almighty potato.

You'll find all this information and much more in 300 Best Potato Recipes: A Complete Cook's Guide, by Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh (Robert Rose, September 2011, $24.95), a trade paperback of 448 pages. Kathleen is a cookbook writer, recipe developer, and co-owner, with her husband Ted, of the Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro in Bayfield, Ontario. They also own The Black Dog Pantry, a specialty food shop. Kathleen's other cookbooks include: 100 Best Grilling Recipes: BBQ Food from Around the Word, Simply the Best: Food and Wine from Ontario’s Finest Inns, New Celtic Cooking, and A Year in Niagara: the People and Food of Wine Country.

The initial chapter, The Spud From All Angles, is a wealth of information and trivia on potatoes, including some history, nutritional information, background, recommendations and more. For example, did you know that the Irish were the first to refer to potatoes as "spuds," derived from the type of spade they used in cultivation? Or that the famed bank robber Dillinger carved a fake gun out of a potato and used it to escape from prison. This section also recommends different types of potatoes for varied preparations, such as baked, boiled, mashed, deep-fried and more. There is even a small bit on growing your own potatoes. This section will appear to cooks and food lovers or all kinds.

The next chapter, A World Of Potatoes, describes the basic categories of potatoes, generally based on their  starch content. These include Floury (high starch), All-Purpose (medium starch), Waxy (low starch), and Specialty (often heirloom varieties of varying starch contents). There are over 4000 potato varieties, an outstanding amount, but only 400-500 are in active production. The book contains a glossary of almost 200 of those potatoes, providing their Origin, Availability, Description and Uses, as well as sometimes a bit of additional information and trivia. This chapter is an excellent resource for when you encounter a strange potato.

The next ten chapters contain 300 recipes centering on the potato, from soup and appetizers to breakfasts and desserts. There are classic potato dishes, such as English Chips and Potato & Cheese Gratin. Recipes range across various cuisines, such as African Sweet Potato & Peanut Soup, Greek-Style Potato Salad, Potato Blini, Yorkshire Pudding Potatoes, and Netherlands Hotchpotch. There is a great diversity of recipes, and there should be plenty to appeal to any cook. Each recipe provides directions with ingredients in bold face, and a sidebar with various tips. Each recipe also starts with a brief description, advice, or history of the dish. Most recipes seem to be of easy to medium complexity, with maybe a few that might be more complex.

There are two sections of color photos, 8 per section for a total of 16, though that constitutes only about 5% of the recipes. I would have liked to see more photos, which can be very helpful to the recipes in determining what the final dish should resemble.

As I love potatoes, I found the first two chapters of this book to be especially fascinating. Many of the recipes also are interesting, and I think would be very useful. There is plenty of variety, and you'll find a potato dish to suit any of your needs. If you are a potato lover too, then I recommend this cookbook.

Fada beo na prátaí!  ("Long live the potato!")

Year of the Potato

Mashed potatoes, potato salad, au gratin potatoes, hash browns, potato bread, french fries...the list is endless. Even one of my favorite vodkas, Chopin, is made from potatoes. Potatoes are delicious and extremely versatile. And there seem to be very few people who don't like potatoes. What are your favorite potato dishes?

On a more serious note, the United Nations as declared 2008 to be the International Year of the Potato. Their website states: "The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment."

Their mission statement is "The mission of the International Year of the Potato is to increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations, and promote research and development of potato-based systems as a means of contributing to achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals."

There are all noble and worthy goals. Their website is filled with tons of information about the potato, from facts and history about the potato, potato production around the world, and much more. Plus the site will soon be updated with potato recipes, potato events, and more. Please take a look at the site and learn more about this very important agricultural product.

And have a potato for dinner tonight!