Sweet Potato Crisps

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am struggling with insulin resistance and anyone who carries our extra 'us' around our torso may be fighting the same battle. You may have slightly elevated fasting blood sugar even though you eat pretty darn well. Cinnamon has been shown to help our bodies with insulin resistance. My doctor says that the best way to combat the insulin monster is to lose the torso bunchiness and work out alot. Yay for CrossFit and cinnamon!!

The other thing I like about this recipe is that it does keep my hands out of the bag of traditional store bought chips. It will take a little time to make these, and the recipe is not very strict. (I promise, that will become clear once you read through the process below.) The more potatoes you start with, the more cinnamon you need and the longer the process takes. But, it is totally worth it.

This recipe inspired by a post on Whole9, http://whole9life.com/2010/10/stm-pwo-sweet-potato/, and served at the food fest following Barbells for Boobs. My mom took on the majority of the work for these chips and we made some observations along the way. Here is the recipe tweaked in a way that we think will serve you well.

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes. We used 6.
Cinnamon. We used several tablespoons.
Coconut oil. I could not find it. Mom says it comes in a can or a jar and it is more solidified, like lard or Crisco. Trader Joe's probably has it. Since I could not find it, we used Peanut Oil. You will need about a half cup of (liquidfied) oil for 6 potatoes.

Stuff ya need:
Baking sheets
Baking sheet liner
Small paring knife
Space to cool the crisps, and a cooling rack would move that process along.
Vegetable peeler
Zip top bag or air tight storage container
Small bowl to hold the oil when basting
Basting brush, or your fingers would probably work

Get started:
Spread your sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and cook them on the middle rack of your oven at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Turn the potatoes and continue to cook them for another 30 minutes.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, allow them to cool for one hour. We found that they are easier to peel when warm, not cold.

Crisp 'em!:
Gather as many baking sheets as you can and get excited to start your assembly line. Line the baking sheet with something - Silpat works great, other silicone sheets would be fine, or parchment paper on a traditional baking sheet worked good too.
Peel the potatoes.
If you are using coconut oil you will probably need to warm it so that it is liquid rather than chunky. Small pot, low heat, watch it so it does not scorch.
Slice the potatoes 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. The thicker you cut them, the longer the crisp process will take and the chewier they can be. Up to you, crispy or chewy.
As you slice the potato, place it on a baking sheet.
Pour oil into a small bowl so you can baste when it is time.
Up the oven to 350 degrees.
Fill the lined sheet as you slice your potatoes, and brush the sliced potato with the oil.
Dust the sweet potatoes with the cinnamon. Be brave, coat them well.
Get that sheet in the oven. They will need a good 30 minutes so you have some time to fill the other sheets you might have on hand.
Once those 30 minutes have passed, pull the sheet from the oven. Allow the sheet to cool for a few minutes. The potatoes will crisp as they cool. If they are not quite crispy enough for you, return them to your oven for a touch up.
Once the sheet of crisps has cooled a bit and you have decided they are crispy enough for you, move them over to your cooling station.
Once the crisps are completely cooled to room temperature you can store them in an air tight bag or container.

Eat Up!
If you wanted to serve these as a treat, a mustard sauce would be a great dip for them.