Potato Skins

Potatoes now seem to come lovingly washed and polished from the supermarket and selected for relatively blemish free skins. As a result, I tend to leave the skin on for things like roast potatoes (Maris Piper's of course) and even chips. However, you really do need to peel them when making mash as stray bits of skin really do make for a rather interesting texture.

It does seem a shame to waste a pile of otherwise clean potato skins since they are rather tasty. However, as they're really leftovers I don't want to spend a lot of effort. This is what I've come up with...

• A pile of potato peelings (from enough potatoes for four people)
  
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• Squirt of lemon juice
• Microwave bacon crisper

1. Let the peelings dry a little
2. Toss them with the other ingredients, making sure they are well mixed
3. Lay the peelings evenly on the crisper in a single layer so they rest on the ridges
4. Microwave for approx 6 minutes on maximum power (800W). Ovens vary widely so try for 5 minutes and then add 30 second increments until the skins are browned.
5. The skins will come out soft and turn crisp as they cool.
6. You can use an ordinary plate but you will probably need to more oil to prevent sticking and you will need to turn the skins half way through.