Sweet Potato Chips

I introduced myself to Crystal Dawkins on Saturday. I want to write that sentence again because it deserves to stand on its own: I introduced myself to Crystal Dawkins on Saturday.

I walked into the Quick-Mart at two in the afternoon when the store was quiet. She was stocking a shelf at the back and came to the counter when she heard me come in. I bought nothing. I stood at the counter and I said: my name is Savannah Clarke. My birth mother was Crystal Dawkins. Are you her?

She looked at me for a long time without saying anything. Long enough that I thought I had been wrong, that the eyes were a coincidence, that this was someone else entirely. Then she said: yes. She said it very quietly. She said: I thought about you every day.

She started crying. I did not. I was not cold about it, just careful in the way I have been careful my whole life with the things I cannot afford to break. We stood in a gas station convenience store in Mobile, Alabama and she cried and I did not and I said: I am going to need some time. She said: I understand. She said: I am so glad you are here. I gave her my phone number. She wrote it on the back of a receipt. We did not hug. I left.

I sat in the parking lot for twenty minutes. Then I called Tyler and said I did it. He said: I am proud of you. I said: I do not know what I feel. He said: that is okay. There is no right thing to feel.

When I got home I didn’t know what to do with myself, and I have learned over the years that the answer to that is almost always to do something with my hands. I made these sweet potato chips. I sliced them thin and laid them out one by one on the pan and I thought about nothing and everything at the same time. There is something about a simple thing — the repetition, the heat, the smell of something real coming out of the oven — that lets you just exist for a little while without having to decide what you feel yet.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 28 min | Total Time: 43 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Slice the sweet potatoes. Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the sweet potatoes into rounds as thin and even as possible — about 1/16 inch. Consistent thickness is what keeps them from burning unevenly.
Season. Place the slices in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat every slice. Add the salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper and toss again until evenly seasoned.
Arrange on the pans. Lay the slices out in a single layer across both prepared baking sheets. Do not overlap them — they need air around each slice to crisp up properly.
Bake. Bake for 20–28 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Watch them closely in the last few minutes; the chips at the edges will crisp faster than those in the center. Remove chips individually as they turn golden and start to curl at the edges. They will continue to crisp as they cool.
Cool and serve. Transfer finished chips to a wire rack or a paper towel—lined plate. Let them cool for at least 5 minutes before eating. They are best the day they are made.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sweet Potato Chips — What I Did When I Got Home