Sweet Potato Masala Chips (Baked!)

That, of course, is a sweet potato. It is also, in my opinion, proof there is a god who loves us. That something so delicious would be found growing in the dirt and prove to be good for us? Yep. God who loves us.

Above the sweet potato are the masalas I am about to enhance it with.

Now, this evil-looking thing is my mandoline slicer, and I freely admit to both loving and fearing it in a way that would make Niccolo Machiavelli himself deem it fit to rule a small principality.

This is some of what it did to my sweet potato in under two minutes (and it would have gone even faster if I weren't so scared of slicing myself open).

Of course, you don't need a mandoline slicer to do this to sweet potatoes. A sharp knife and prodigious chopping skills will suffice. I don't think my mother in-law has a mandoline slicer, but she does have two women who help her in the kitchen and, wow, can those women handle knives!

However you slice your sweet potato, and here I should probably mention that I leave the skin on, make sure you end up with thin, even slices and that you have preheated your oven to 375.

Now you'll want to combine

3 pressed cloves of garlic
1 generous teaspoon of garam masala
1/2 teaspoons of turmeric
and salt to taste (I like mine salty, so I use a teaspoon)

with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and toss the uncooked chips in this mixture

Then lay the chips on a baking sheet so that none of them overlap. Please note: Since there is turmeric in the marinade, you might want to use parchment paper. Also, you are going to have to turn them halfway through baking, too, so leave some room.

Bake each side until the chips are done. How long does that take? It depends on how thick your slices are and how hot your oven really is. These needed about eight minutes on each side.

Oh, are they good...and pretty...and reasonably healthy: