Heyo! Here’s an edition of Chip Country, where I dissect a bag (or in this case a style) of potato chips.
When did dark Russet potato chips become a thing? I swear to God everybody was fine destroying their mouths with kettle cooked salt & vinegar and flamin’ hot everything, but then one day BAM! Burnt potato chips for the extra freaky freaks of the world.
I’m inclined to think that Trader Joe’s dark russet potato chips started this trend. (White) people go mental for the snacks at Trader Joe’s. I personally think the company is a mixed bag. On one hand, great snacks available to all. On the other, we get the white washing of cultural foods. It’s a complicated subject, but my first reaction is that it does kind of suck that Trader Joe’s just picks popular foods from around the world, repackages them, and sells them with a rebranded name. Though their copy for such products looks a lot better now, I get the ick from their straightforward globalization of foods.
Anyway we’re not here to talk about TJ’s per se. We’re here to talk about dark Russet potato chips, which these companies want to make clear do NOT taste burnt.
From this bag of Utz dark Russet chips,
Utz is proud to bring you this premium line of gourmet Russet potato chips. This special variety of Russet results in a robust flavored dark potato chip…dark, not from burning or over frying, but from the natural caramelizing of the sugars present in our precision controlled slices.
Give the copywriter at Utz a god damn raise because that’s great branding. Robust, gourmet, and dark, not burnt. The problem, though, is that you just can’t tell people what they taste. Plenty of folks are not fans of russet potato chips because what they taste is a burnt flavor. Are they wrong? How on earth do you tell people, “No no no, what you’re tasting is the natural caramelization of sugars!” That sounds too much like—you dumb fuck, your palate isn’t educated enough.
Again from this package of Cape Cod dark Russet potato chips,
Thank you for buying our unique potato chips made with real Russet potatoes. The chips inside this bag cook darker than other potato chips, but don't worry — they're not burnt. Russet potatoes unlike their round white cousins contain higher amounts of sugar and when cooked carefully will produce a darker, more robust chip that maintains the integrity of the potato.
Ahhhh yes, potato integrity. It’s the second most important integrity, right behind regular integrity. Cape Cod, again, wants you to believe these chips aren’t burnt, but it’s not going to change the fact that many people taste something acrid, charcoal-y, and unpleasant when they eat a dark Russet chip.
Still, more and more companies are selling these chips. They’re divisive, but market research shows adventurous flavors are a hot ticket. And Dark Russets certainly have their ardent fans. Including me.
I love dark Russet chips and I’ve been eating them my whole life. That’s because Russet potatoes are what most restaurants use for their house cooked chips. Every country club, bar, restaurant, and bar/restaurant I’ve worked in served house made chips made from Russets, and they do in fact carry a unique flavor due to their high starch content. Every time I taste a dark Russet chip from Utz or Trader Joe’s, it brings me back to my days working at The New Castle Country Club—serving “sand trap” hot tuna sandwiches with a side of spud-forward, darkly fried potato chips.
Restaurant-quality chips—tossed with salt and usually housed in a giant steel bowl wrapped in plastic wrap—are delicious. They are much, much different from the bags of chips you get at the grocery store, and the difference comes down to the humble Russet potato. Russet potatoes contain much more starch, and so frying them produces awesome caramelization which leads to wonderfully dark, brown flavors.
Side note: I once had a boss question my liberal use of brown flavors. “Flavors can’t be dark or brown,” she said. But when I say brown flavors you know exactly what the fuck I’m talking about, right? A deeply savory, meaty, earthy taste.
Spain uses Agria potatoes, many chip companies here in the States use white potatoes like Yukon Golds, but Russets remain popular due to the unique, caramelized flavors they produce. There’s a real earthiness to Russet potatoes, too. Something about them feels….Amish, if that makes sense. If you like that natural taste, then these potato chips are for you.
And if you want to enjoy that flavor, you don’t have to buy a bag of dark Russet potato chips. They’re easy to make at home, as Owen Han demonstrates:
To make homemade Russet chips:
Get a mandolin (the most sinister kitchen equipment), slice the Russets thin (I like skin on), let em’ soak in cold water overnight, dry well with paper towels, and then fry in vegetable oil on about 350 degrees until darkly golden. Immediately season with salt or Old Bay seasoning for maximum flavor.
Thanks for reading the Move! Yee haw! I’m almost at 400 subscribers which is fucking rad. Please tell your friends! Subscribe. Pay if you want! Let me know if there’s anything you want me to cover or talk about.
ncG1vNJzZmismJq6sMLEpZhnq6WXwLWtwqRlnKedZL1wrtSrpa1loKTBosDOZpqhoaCo