Beetroot and kale chippies

My name's Emma and I'm a chipaholic. Some families grow up eating popcorn or sweets while watching movies. Other will have chopped up fruit (booooooring) while some would indulge in homemade cookies. Not my family. It was salt and vinegar chips. All. The. Way. Crinkle cut or thins, it no matter. Though Sarah would argue Light and Tangy flavoured wins (and I'm happy to concede if she's buying) to me, the sharp and salty goodness of the S'n'V.

Not too long ago, I would have scoffed at the suggestion of an alternative to potato chips. Part of me still doesn't want to believe it: a salty snack that's not a total carb/fat fest but still delicious. Not that there's anything wrong with a carb and/or fat fest. I'm the least qualified person to judge in the trial of diet missteps.


Potatoes are a pretty brilliant vehicle for any savoury flavour. But potatoes themselves? Starchy and fun, but not necessarily complex. Kale on the other hand: kinda sweet, savoury and tangy all at once. Enough to keep this lady with the attention span of a seagull entertained for hours on end.

Once I'd tried kale leaves, I realised beetroot leaves were edible also. They needed a bit more washing than the kale: they're a bit gritty all over, so make sure you scrub 'em up real nice. They don't end up as crispy, but are far more delicate and kinda a nice contrast to the kale.

The other brilliant thing about these chips: no frying! A quick spray with some oil and bake away for about 20 minutes. Your house doesn't smell like a chicken shop for the next day, and you don't need to wash your hair afterwards either. Not to mention the health benefits.

You can easily just spray with oil and sprinkle with some salt and you're away. I decided to go a little further and sprinkled some different spices on to liven them up a touch. Garam masala for the kale and a seafood curry powder for the beetroot. Both were great: lively not not so overwhelming you can't get down with the leafy goodness. I pick up my spices from Gewurzhaus in the Royal Arcade. Be warned, if you love cute little spices jars and spoons and bowls and knicks and knacks, you may leave with your wallet a bit lighter than when you walked in.

So believe it or not, there's is an alternative to potato chips. They don't come in a shiny foil packet and there's no cheap scratchies in sight, but you'll be doing your waistline a massive favour. And you won't establish a lifetime of Bennetto-like habits: needing to munch down on a packet of the Pink Plague every time you put on the giggle box. That's a habit worth avoiding.

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
1 bunch beetroot with leaves
1 tbsp sea salt
can spray olive oil
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp seafood curry powder

Preheat oven to 180ºC.

Wash and dry leaves for beetroot and kale. Cut all leaves from stems and trim any large veins running through the leaves. Lay flat in a single layer on a baking tray. It will be necessary to grease the beetroot baking tray, but not the kale. Spray each with oil, sprinkle with salt and spices. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp to the touch.