Potato Wedges Are The Elevated Way To Enjoy The Taste Of Salt And Vinegar Chips

Salt and vinegar potato chips are a tried and true flavor sold by most well-known brands from Zapps to Pringles. Chips are a great side to sandwiches and burgers, but they lack the sophistication and heartiness of a fancy or more substantial dinner dish. Luckily, you can convert salt and vinegar chips into potato wedges for an elevated take on this fan-favorite flavor.

While it may be synonymous with potato chips in North America, the salt and vinegar flavor combo originated as a seasoning for fried potatoes served alongside fish and chips, the iconic British pub fare. So, by turning salt and vinegar potato chips into potato wedges, you're actually reverting them back to their original form. However, instead of dealing with the mess of frying, you can use your grill or oven to create a crispy, salty exterior and luxuriously pillowy vinegar-infused interior.

If you're a salt and vinegar chip lover, you know that the salty tang of these seasonings works perfectly with the earthy, savory potato. A wedge gives you that same flavor with more depth and an indulgent textural contrast. They'd make a flavorful side dish for fine cuts of steak, pork chops, and, of course, filets of fish. You can garnish the wedges with fresh herbs like thyme or tarragon and serve them with fancy dipping sauces like aioli, romesco, or whipped avocado.

You can grill or roast salt and vinegar potato wedges, but both methods require you to parboil the wedges in vinegar to infuse the pulp. Parboiling potatoes before roasting or grilling them is a popular method for ensuring they have moist interiors and crispy edges.

Choosing large, firm potatoes like russets or Yukon golds will result in the best wedges. Once your wedges have dried out and cooled off a bit after parboiling, coat them in oil and sprinkle them with coarse sea salt. The oil and salt are responsible for their crispy edges. While olive oil is a favorite for roast potatoes, neutral oils like avocado or safflower have higher smoke points and won't obscure the tanginess of the vinegar.

You can prepare and parboil the wedges while you preheat your grill or oven. If you're already using your grill for steaks or fish, you'll be killing two birds with one stone. Plus, the grill imparts smokiness and aesthetic markings that an oven can't provide. That said, ovens are more ubiquitous household appliances and will save you the effort of starting a fire and the cost of charcoal or wood.