Yesterday morning was unusually cool at 75 degrees so I had to take advantage of it. Mark and I went for a bike ride on Grant’s Trail. It was a little bit crowded since everyone had the same idea we did. The trail runs right next to Grant’s Farm, which is the historical home of Ulysses S. Grant, and has stables for Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales.
The trail is where I usually go for my long runs, and almost all of my bike rides so far.
The Clydesdales are right next to the trail and pretty desensitized to people.
Me and all my gear.
Mark being patient.
Soon after we finished – I did about 11 miles – we had to go home, shower, and get ready to go to lunch with a friend from out of town.
We went downtown to Square One Brewery in Lafayette Square. I had 1/2 a chicken salad sandwich and a Agave Wheat beer which was pretty good.
Amy & me. The group of us:
Afternoon beer makes me really tired. I got home and rested for a while and decided to make those salt and vinegar chips. It was the first time I have used my mandoline slicer, I am embarrassed to say.
Barefoot in the kitchen. The recipe said to slice the potatoes in 1/4 inch slices but as I got used to the mandoline, I kept going thinner – hoping for a crispier result.
You can use as many potatoes as you want. I think I used 8 or so? Just drop them in a pot and cover with vinegar.
Bring to a boil and then let it cook on medium for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Transfer to a baking pan coated with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 F. Then flip them and cook for 15 more minutes and sprinkle with more salt. Here is the finished result:
The vinegar was definitely in there! To be honest, I was a little afraid the vinegar would not be strong enough, so I reserved it in the pot until I tasted them. It was not necessary at all – there was plenty of vinegar in these chips. They were really good. The only drawback was how long this took.
Soon after this, we went to the drive-in in Belleville. It was ok, but I got really tired and fell asleep! We ended up getting home late, and I slept in, which is why I still haven’t done my long run… Just one more cup of tea…
