Sprinkle Ground Dried Capers On Chips For An Irresistible Party Snack

From football Sunday to family barbecues, potato chips are an easy go-to snack. But for your next gathering, try upgrading yours beyond the basic chip-and-dip combo by piling ground, dried capers on top. If you've never had them before, capers are young buds that come from the capparis spinosa bush and are typically pickled before they make their way into our food. They're no bigger than peas and packed full of savory, briny, acidic flavors. When paired with potato chips, you get the perfect balance of salty crisps and bold flavor.

While you can simply combine fresh capers with chips, this doesn't make for a very easy-to-serve snack experience. But ground, dried capers are essentially a seasoning, which you can sprinkle on just like salt or pepper — except it will contain a greater depth of flavor than those two basic spices. And as long as you have a jar of fresh buds, you can absolutely make this topping at home.

The two main ways to make dried ground capers involve a dehydrator or oven. If you already own one of the former devices, drying these buds out is as simple as patting them with a paper towel and popping them in for about eight hours. If you want to go with the oven, you'll still want to mop up any excess moisture with a paper towel, and then go ahead and place them on a lined baking sheet. They'll take a few hours to dehydrate in the oven at a low temperature, like 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Whichever method you choose, you'll want to wait until your capers cool completely, then pulverize them in a blender or food processor until they turn into the consistency of a seasoning. It's worth noting that you can also buy caper powder at certain specialty food stores or online, but keep in mind that this option is a little pricier.

Whipping up a party snack is then as simple as sprinkling your new seasoning over chips, but choose your bag strategically. You may want to avoid chips that are already salted or pick a flavorless option, as caper powder has plenty of pizzazz. And keep the type of crisp in mind. Tortilla chips may not mesh as well with caper flavors, while kettle and wavy potato chips with ridges can make for a mouthwatering snack.