We’ve been receiving sweet potatoes in our CSA box lately, so I’ve taken to baking sweet potato chips for an afternoon snack. They’re delicious, nutritious and… pick another word! They’re that, too!

My approach to baked sweet potato chips is pretty straightforward. I start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Then, I take a sweet potato that has been washed and thoroughly dried and cut it into thin slices.

I toss the slices in a bowl with some olive oil, coarse sea salt and ground pepper. You can also add brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice or any spices you like. I just prefer mine straight up.

I arrange the slices on a foil-lined baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about 10 minutes. At the ten-minute mark, I pull them out and turn each slice over with a pair of tongs. Careful now, these jerks are hot. Stupid hot.

I pop them back in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until they’ve had enough time to think about what they’ve done. Total baking time will depend upon how thinly you’ve sliced your sweet potato and how crispy/burnt you like your chips. All told, my chips saw roughly 21 minutes in the oven.

Once the chips are sufficiently chastised, I bring them out and allow them to cool. If you’re the impatient sort and hate the inside of your own mouth, go ahead and skip the cooling part and pop one in your mouth right now.

Think about what you’ve done.

After a few minutes, I’ll usually try one to see if they need any further salt and/or pepper. Then, I commence snacking.

According to the USDA, 1 large sweet potato (about 180 grams) provides you with:

  • 162 calories
  • 6 grams of fiber
  • 3.6 grams of protein
  • 114% of your daily dose of Vitamin A
  • 59% of your Vitamin C
  • 45% of your Manganese (mmmm… manganese)
  • …and numerous other vitamins and minerals

Enjoy an easy, guilt-free, good-for-you, afternoon snack, why don’t you?