From Plot to Pot

Making and Possibly Growing Sweet Potato Crisps

Making and Possibly Growing Sweet Potato Crisps 🍠🥔

Sweet potato crisps have become one of my favourite occasional treats. They’re sweet, savoury, and feel just a little bit healthier than a bag of shop-bought crisps. Better still, if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s even possible to grow your own sweet potatoes in Scotland with a bit of planning!

Making Properly Crisp Sweet Potato Crisps

Sweet potatoes are a little trickier than ordinary potatoes because they contain more natural sugars and moisture. The secret is to keep everything thin, dry and lightly oiled.

You’ll Need

  • 1–2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, sunflower oil, or a mixture of the two
  • Sea salt
  • Optional seasonings: smoked paprika, chilli powder, garlic powder, cinnamon or rosemary

Do You Need to Peel Them?

No!

I usually recommend leaving the skins on:

  • Adds extra fibre and nutrients
  • Helps the slices hold together
  • Gives the crisps a lovely rustic appearance

Just scrub them thoroughly and trim away any damaged bits.

Peeling is only really worth doing if:

  • The skins are particularly rough or woody
  • You want a very delicate, uniform crisp

The Method

1. Slice Thinly

This is absolutely crucial.

Aim for slices around 1 mm thick or less. A mandoline is ideal, but a sharp knife and patience will do the job.

2. Soak

Place the slices in cold water for about 30 minutes.

This removes some of the starch and sugars and helps prevent burning.

3. Dry Thoroughly

This is perhaps the most important step.

Pat the slices completely dry using tea towels or kitchen paper. Any remaining moisture will produce soft, chewy chips rather than crisp ones.

4. Apply Oil Lightly

A fine mist of oil works best.

I prefer:

  • Light olive oil for flavour
  • Sunflower oil for a more neutral taste
  • A 50:50 mixture of the two for the best of both worlds

You only need enough oil to give the slices a slight sheen.

5. Air Fry

Using my HPSapienta Air Fry Oven:

  • Mode: Air Fry or Crisp
  • Temperature: 150–160°C
  • Cooking time: 12–16 minutes

After about 8 minutes:

  • Open the oven
  • Turn or shuffle the slices
  • Continue cooking until the edges begin curling and turning lightly golden

Don’t wait until they look fully crisp in the oven.

6. Cool Completely

This is the magic step.

As they cool on a rack, they continue drying and become beautifully crisp and snappy.

If some remain slightly soft, return them to the air fryer at 120°C for another 5 minutes.

Season Afterwards

Salt and spices are best added once the crisps come out of the oven while still warm. Seasoning beforehand can draw moisture to the surface and soften them.

Could You Grow Sweet Potatoes in Scotland?

Surprisingly, yes!

Sweet potatoes are tropical plants, so Scotland is certainly not their natural home, but with a warm spot and a bit of planning, it can be done.

Choosing Varieties

Look for shorter-season varieties such as:

  • Beauregard Improved
  • Evangeline
  • Georgia Jet
  • Bonita

These tend to perform better in cooler northern conditions.

Growing in a Scottish No-Dig Plot

Sweet potatoes love:

  • Warm soil
  • Plenty of compost
  • Shelter from cold winds

A no-dig bed is actually an excellent place to grow them.

Preparing the Bed

  • Add 5–8 cm of compost in spring.
  • Cover the bed with black plastic or landscape fabric for a few weeks to warm the soil.
  • Plant out in late May or early June when frosts have passed.

Planting

Plant slips about 30 cm apart.

Allow the vines to trail over the surface. They can produce additional roots and tubers where the stems touch the ground.

Companions

They sit quite happily near:

  • Beans
  • Courgettes
  • Basil

Try to avoid shading them with tall crops such as sweetcorn or brassicas.

Can You Chit Sweet Potatoes?

Not exactly.

Unlike ordinary potatoes, sweet potatoes don’t grow from tubers with eyes. Instead, they produce shoots called slips.

Starting Your Own Slips

What you’ll need

  • One organic sweet potato
  • A jam jar
  • Three or four cocktail sticks

Method

  1. Push cocktail sticks into the middle of the sweet potato.
  2. Suspend it over a jar so the lower half sits in water.
  3. Keep somewhere warm and bright.

After a couple of weeks, green shoots should appear.

When the shoots reach around 10–15 cm long:

  • Twist them off
  • Place them in water
  • Allow roots to form
  • Pot them up

By late May, they should be ready for planting outside.

A Future Plot Experiment?

I’m rather tempted to try a few plants myself.

Even if the Scottish weather only gives a modest harvest, the idea of sitting in late summer, eating a bowl of home-grown sweet potato crisps made from sweet potatoes grown on the allotment, has a certain irresistible appeal.

🍠🥔🌱 Now that’s taking “From Plot to Pot” quite literally!