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The Thanksgiving Leftovers Croque Madame.
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I have some fun Thanksgiving news for you guys.
And no, it’s not that my oven is fixed. That would be AMAZING news.
Instead I have crazy news. I decided to fry the turkey. AHHH!!
Well actually, it is turkeys (plural) since the frier I bought only accommodates an eighteen pound bird. That just will not cut it over here, so two it is. To say I am nervous would be an understatement. One, I have never had a fried turkey so I have no idea how they even taste. I’ve heard pretty good things about them though, so if all goes well I do think they will be delicious. Two, this now puts me in charge of the turkey, YIKES. And guys, I have never, ever, cooked a turkey! What am I thinking? I do not know. I need help. Seriously.
Three, since mom is not cooking the turkey for the first time in like – ever, this leaves me in charge of the entire dinner. It’s not a big deal, I mean I do this everyday, BUT the turkey. I just do not want to ruin the turkey. Deep breaths, deep breaths.
Originally, we were planning on just buying one of those roasters that look like a giant crockpot, but then on Saturday night I was placing yet another order at Williams-Sonoma and I came across this Turkey Fryer. Â SO then I thought it might be fun to fry the turkey since I have no oven. Later on I can use the fryer to make doughnuts, french fries and other goodies. At the time I was so excited, but now as the day draws closer, I am slightly freaking out.
It’s kind of lot of pressure, but hey there is always the mashers, right? Oh boy.
Anyway, if any of you guys have fried a turkey, please let me know your tips!
Ok now let’s talk about these salty sweet potato skin chips. I know I can handle sweet potatoes. The chips here? They are the best. Like so good, so addicting, so awesome. They just sort of happened the day I made this Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole with Sweet ‘n’ Spicy Bacon Pecans. I had baked my potatoes as I always do, peeling the skins away from the potatoes, tossing the skins to the side, then moving on with the dish. BUT, it just so happened that I was frying something on the same day. When I went to clean up I thought to myself that it was such a waste to throw out the sweet potato skins. I mean, they looked so good. I am a skins girl all the way – I love um. So then it hit me that I should probably make some sweet potato skins chips out of those scraps.
I had those skins in the hot oil within minutes – and into our mouths minutes later. So flippin good. Everyone agreed that they were delicious. All they really need is a little sprinkle of some good sea salt, but if you want to sprinkle them with fresh chopped herbs (I love sage and rosemary) that would be delicious as well.
I especially loved the skins that still had some pretty orange flesh left on them. That flesh gets all crispy and it’s just perfection. If you want to get a little flesh, make sure your sweet potatoes are fully cooked before peeling them. Then use your hands to peel the skins away from the potato. If the potatoes are not cooked enough, you’ll only got the brown skins without the flesh, no orange. You can still fry them, but watch them closely! They will be done in maybe ten to fifteen seconds. Personally, I would get some of that orange flesh on there.
Also, if you’re peeling your skins prior to cooking the potatoes (like with a veggie peeler), I would think this recipe would still work with those raw skins too. You will probably just have to fry them a little longer. Try and get thicker peels, rather than thinner ones.
I thought these would be so perfect for today because I would imagine there are a lot of you out there who are prepping your sweet potatoes today. I am not, because I am being stupid and cooking everything tomorrow (yikes times like five), but for you smart people out there, save those skins!! You can fry them up today or save them and fry them up tomorrow to serve as an easy, quick last-minute appetizer.
But umm, they go kind of fast so maybe make some extra sweet potatoes this year for the sole purpose of more chips. Yes, do that. You can never have enough sweet potatoes.
So what do you guys think? Are you all ready for tomorrow. It’s clear that I am not, but here’s to hoping you are. If you’re not, just throw LOTS of sweet potatoes in the oven, serve the chips as appetizers until everyone gets filled up… then go buy a big pie. Problem = solved (just kidding).
Simple Salty Sweet Potato Skin Chips.
Servings: 3 Cups
Calories Per Serving: 508 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- pieces The skins from 5 fully baked sweet potatoes torn into *
- tablespoon Canola oil for frying (or 1 olive oil for baking)*
- Sea salt for sprinkling
- Assorted fresh herbs I used sage and rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pot and heat to 350 degree F. Add the skins a few at a time and fry, turning once with a slotted spoon or tongs, until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your skins.
- Transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and chopped herbs if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. I recommend eating within a few hours of frying, as the skins that have flesh on them get soft after being stored in a bag.
Notes
*It is important that before you peel the skins away from the sweet potatoes you make sure the potatoes are fully cooked throughout. Allow the potatoes to cool and then use your hands to peel the skin away, leaving a thin layer of flesh on the skins. **Alternately you can toss the skins with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bake in a preheated 450 degree F. oven for 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Remove and sprinkle with salt.
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving guys! See ya, Friday for some more deliciousness.
Oh my goodness, you will LOVE it!!! We have one every year, and I have NEVER had a bad on!! You will never bake one again!!! It your fryer is anything like ours, it’s going to be MESSY! I recommend putting a ton of cardboard down to set the fryer on, because oil tends to spill over the top a bit, and it will make your floors really slippery.We always do ours in our barn, with the doors open (we live in California, so it might be too cold in Colorado!), because ventilation helps dissipate the grease that tends to float around in the air when anything is fried. Don’t be scared about it not tasting great, I promise you will love it!!
GOOD LUCK! I am very curious to hear how this all turns out. Tomorrow I will be eating (not cooking) a deep fried turkey for the first time…should be interesting!
Best of luck with your bir– don. I agree it is a lot of pressure to take on the “showpiece” of the meal.
I like to say,there is nothing worse than roasting the bird that is so dry, if you look at it the wrong way, all of the meat falls off of the bones! My sister and I usually try to make excuses to transfer the responsibility onto each other. This year its mine– and my bird has been dry brining in the fridge for over a day. Hey, I just realized last year was my turn too– no fair!
My bro in law loves to fry his turkeys. Im not much for it, only because there is always traffic in and out of the house to check on the fryer, pretty soon, all you can smell in the house is that fryer oil.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow, I just threw away a bunch of sweet potato skins a few hours ago. Guess I will have to make more. We eat sweet potatoes a lot, so it shouldn’t be difficult!
My husband is frying a turkey this year and has been practicing if you want to check it out, he has a post on my blog right now about it http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com/youve-decided-deep-fry-turkey-now/ . Feel free to remove the link if you want. I just wouldn’t be able to put it all in a comment, and I am not the one who does it, so I wouldn’t want to condense.
These look amazing, theyre probably super tasty, but too many sweet potato skins can cause a bad tummy ache, so be careful! Definitely not something that’s good to have too regularly…
These chips look amazing and like maybe they’d make for awesome nachos?! Turkey frying is awesome and easy. Just make sure to follow the safety guidelines you read online. And prep. It’s all about the prep. Frying is so easy and QUICK! Way better than hogging space in a crowded kitchen plus it usually takes some bystanders outside with it which is always a good thing 🙂
Fried turkey—-whoa baby you will have to let us all know how that turns out. We all sure can see that these potato skins have turned out
fantastic. Makes me want a glass of beer and I don’t drink beer normally.
I highly suggest using Alton Brown’s turkey frying tips. We did several years ago…everything including the brining. Best turkey ever! So moist!
These chips look irresistible, love the rosemary and salt! Good luck tomorrow – you will do amazing, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 🙂
(BTW- I sure hope you don’t have to do the dishes tomorrow. Delegate!!)
Hey! Found a video from PopSugar Food for tips on deep frying a turkey that might help 🙂 http://youtu.be/ixOcDY_4yzE
Love this idea! I’m wondering if we could bake them in the oven with some good old olive oil and salt/pepper..might have to try it out. And good luck with that turkey! I’ve never fried one myself, I’ve had them and they’re delicious! The one key I’ve heard is to make sure the turkey is totally dry – moisture + oil is obviously not a good situation. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
So, yeah, I don’t normally eat meat, but I have had a bite of fried turkey and it was AMAZING! So, I think that sounds like a great way to go.
These sweet potato skins look phenomenal! Need to make these for our next holiday gathering. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Fried turkey? Can I join you this Thanksgiving? I promise to behave and finish my turkey. 🙂 And these chips are so fabulous! I love sage and rosemary, too. They all make your kitchen smells super duper delicious.
wow, this is seriously the best idea ever – especially since sweet potato chips never get as crispy as i want them. good luck with that fried turkey situation, lady! and happy thanksgiving to you!
Ok, first off, I’m sending some serious “good luck” vibes your way because being in charge of the family turkey scares me, too. And second, I LOVE potato skins, so these are being made STAT! YUM!