Kettle cooked potato chips with jalapeno seasoning

Wash a large russet potato, do not peel, and slice 2 mm thick on a mandolin (or with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler).

Leave the slices unwashed (washing removes browning sugars for a blonder chip; boiling in vinegar made no difference in crunch).

Heat peanut oil in a wok to 315 or 325F, watching it with a thermometer.

Slide the potatoes in and stir constantly so they do not stick; the oil drops to 250 or even 240F and then climbs back.

Fry, stirring constantly, until there is no bubbling left, about 9 to 11 minutes, the oil back up near 290F. Pull them before they go from brown to overdone.

Spoon the chips onto a paper towel over a wire rack to absorb excess oil.

For the seasoning, heat the oven to its lowest, 170F. Put a quartered jalapeno, one sliced garlic clove and two layers of onion on a wire rack and dehydrate until completely dry and crackly, about 6 hours.

Break the dried vegetables up and pound in a mortar and pestle to a powder; pour into a bowl.

Grind a spoonful of salt and a tiny bit of MSG in the mortar so it coats evenly, then mix into the vegetable powder with a small spoonful of sugar.

Sprinkle over the chips while hot so it sticks.

Variation: mix cheese powder over another batch.