Crispy Beet Green Chips

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I was making pickled beets “and a few other experimental things.”

This is one of those experimental things.  Actually, so far, it’s the only one.  I haven’t done the other one yet.  Probably tomorrow when I’ll have more time to be experimental.

So here’s what I did….

First, after separating the stalks from the beets, I trimmed the stalks off of the leaves and set them aside for further experimentation at a later date.

Then I rinsed all the dirt off of the leaves, patted them dry, and then left them on sheet pans in the dining room (where we’ve got a ceiling fan) to dry completely.  (Yes, the ceiling fan was on at the time.  It definitely helped.) 

As the leaves dried, they got kind of droopy, but that’s okay.  Once the leaves were dry, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees F.

I tore the larger leaves into smaller, chip-sized pieces (think potato chip or tortilla, whichever makes you happiest).  I left the smaller leaves intact.

Then I drizzled a little olive oil on the mound of leaves and mixed them together, gently, with my hands, to distribute the oil evenly.  I didn’t use a LOT of oil – just enough to add a smidge of flavor and so toppings would stick.

I spread the leaves out on parchment lined sheet pans…

And then sprinkled kosher salt and ground black pepper over the lot.

Then I put the chips in the oven and let them bake.  I checked them occasionally, and when they seemed dry and crisp, I took them out and let them cool.

How were they?  Mostly good.

What was lacking? 

Structure.  Beet greens are pretty thin, which makes them nice and crisp, but they tended to shatter when bitten into.  Kale is the more common choice (or so I’ve noticed) for chips, but hey, it was worth trying.  And – they’re baked, so they’re pretty guilt-free.

I put too much pepper on the first batch, and Julia didn’t like them.  So I made another batch with grated cheese and no pepper.  (And just a little bit of salt.)  She liked these better, but I thought the cheese was too dark. 

And I didn’t get any decent pictures.

But I thought this one looked kind of cool, so I’m posting it. 

Just cuz.

I still think it’s a fun way to do something different with beet greens. 

Or any other kind of greens, for that matter.