Upscale Potato Chips by Bridget

I don't normally think of potato chips as being something I would serve for company. There are even jokes about the seven-course Irish meal- a six pack of beer and a bag of potato chips! Not that chips don't have their place- chips and dip are a great game-day or poker night snack. My sister-in-law makes a dip for chips that is legendary in our family and it can make cream cheese and a bag of chips disappear faster than David Copperfield can get rid of a 747. Potato chips, when crushed can be a great crust for oven-baked or fried foods (try crushed salt and vinegar chips on fish!)

So if you had told me that there could be a simple appetizer that you would be proud to serve at a cocktail party, I am not sure I would have believed it, yet my daughter Bridget made me a believer. These little morsels use the chip as the canvas for a topping of lime-laced sour cream, smoked salmon and chives. Amazing! Bridget threw these together as a snack at the beach and they were an instant hit (see the empty space on. Give them a try yourself - you won't be sorry. And I am throwing in the Dowd family recipe for the chip dip that is part of any casual Dowd gathering.

Bridget's Highbrow Potato Chip Appetizers

20-30 potato chips (ripple or kettle chips work best)
1 cup light sour cream
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

Mix the lime juice with the sour cream. Put a dollop on each chip and top with smoked salmon and sprinkle chives on top. Serve and get out of the way!!

Dowd Family Famous Chip Dip

8 oz cream or neufchatel cheese
garlic salt
Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tablespoons milk

Soften cream cheese and stir in worcestershire sauce and milk to achieve creamy consistency. Add garlic salt to taste.

Potato Chips

Fabulous Food Destinations in the Outer Banks

When we planned for fun in the sun in the Outer Banks, while we planned dinners, we left some days free to give us some flexibility to go out or get takeout, or whatever struck our fancy. While the Corolla area is full of the typical sub shops, pizza joints and barbecue stands, we found several culinary jewels during our stay. Our first night, since it was breezy and cooler we went to Steamers to Go and got one of our favorites- their clam chowder, which they sell by the quart. It is a little pricey, but delicious and combined with some mahi mahi en papillote, it made a great dinner on the screened porch! Steamers has all kinds of seafood, and other great pre-made foods meant to make your stay at the beach easier, even if you are the cook!

During our two week stay we had pizza twice trying both the recommended Tomato Patch and Corolla Pizza, a place with local flavor in a little strip mall north of the Currituck Lighthouse. Tomato Patch is popular since it is a family-friendly sit down restaurant as well as pizza take out. Since our children are grown, we care primarily about the pizza. The Tomato Patch makes good pizza, but I have to say that the pizza at Corolla Pizza was my favorite of the two. The shop itself reminds me of our own neighborhood pizzeria where you can watch the dough being tossed. The crust was just the right thickness to please my thin-crust loving husband, with a crisp bottom and freshly-made taste. The sauce was not too sweet or acidic and the toppings were fresh and delicious. As a bonus, they had Mexican Coke, which I had read has real sugar like the Coke of my childhood, so I got two for the girls to try.

Before we left to go on vacation, I had seen something on Food Network about Tullio's Bakery in Duck, and we definitely put it on our list of places to try while we were there. We were not disappointed. Tullio's is a dieter's nightmare- the cases were full of all manner of treats. Cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, cupcakes, muffins, scones and desserts that were so tempting. We got a dozen assorted goodies for breakfast one morning and by noon, there was only an empty box (and the added pounds) to remind us of our stop there. Tullio's also offers half a dozen assorted bagels at a very reasonable reduced price and the bagels are amazing! So what if we had to do a few more laps in the pool? Tullio's was totally worth it! (Actually, writing this post has made me want to make the drive back down just to go there and try more of their breads and desserts!)

Next post- an elegant meal out in the Outer Banks