Why have I only just discovered vegetable crisp?

As a Personal Trainer, one of the main topics of conversation I have with clients is food. I know what you’re probably thinking, sure I am a Personal Trainer so I’m probably checking that they’re eating a nutritious and well-balanced diet. Well, you’re wrong.

In fact, usually, we’re discussing our favourite meals and what we’d rather be eating that evening as opposed to the healthier options we are definitely going to choose.

But there was one conversation with a particular client that has always stuck with me, and it was about one of our shared favourite foods, potatoes. Now, I could easily write a whole article dedicated to potatoes and why they are so brilliant, but I’ll spare you today (maybe next month). No, now I’m going to share one of the best cooking tips I’ve ever received.

We began discussing our mutual love for roast dinners. This client in particular will make a roast dinner every Sunday without fail. If you’re not from the UK and you don’t know what a roast dinner is, it’s basically everything you expect from a British meal; Roast meat, root vegetables, potatoes in various formats and a lot of gravy. It was then that she shared a tip that has changed my potato-making experience ever since. Peeling the potato skins and baking them as a Moorish snack to nibble on whilst you’re making the rest of your roast.

I know it’s not rocket science, but it is pure genius. Not only is it a way to keep hunger at bay whilst you smell the delights of your meat roasting, but it also reduces food waste. The best thing about this is that it doesn’t stop with potatoes, you can do it with any root vegetables and set them aside to use as a snack at a later date.

Here’s the recipe so that you can make your own vegetable crisps:

Ingredients:

• 1kg peeled potatoes and root vegetables
• A drizzle of olive oil
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp rosemary

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Place the peeled skins in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Next sprinkle over the salt, pepper and rosemary and toss the skins.
Put parchment paper over a baking tray and tip the skins onto the tray, make sure they are spread out.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden, then set aside and serve.

Some other herbs and spices you can use to add flavour to your veggies:

• Dried fennel
• Chilli flakes
• Paprika
• Oregano

You can use whatever you want to season your vegetable crisps, you can even mix and match. For example, 1 tsp of chilli flake and squeeze of lime juice will make your crisps basically irresistible, trust me on this.

Watch this space for more semi-predictable ways to make your vegetables taste great.