Don't Toss Your Potato Peels, Save Them For A Crispy Soup Topper

For most of the comforting potato soup recipes we've created at Tasting Table, preparation starts with peeling of the potatoes you'll then sautée or blend in the pot. The peels usually end up in the compost bin, but there's a convincing argument for keeping them around. Once you transform those wisps of peel into crispy soup toppers, they'll stay out of the compost bin forever.

Potato peels are the ideal thinness to fry over the stove or pop into the air fryer to create crunchy, savory chips in a matter of minutes.  What's great is you'll have already done the prep work by peeling the potatoes you'll use in your soup (if your soup calls for them). Plus, you can fry them up while your soup simmers over the burner next door. Give those potato peels a rough chop so that each crisp is around 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long before frying them. They'll take between 10 and 15 minutes to fry in an iron skillet filled with a shallow pool of oil over medium heat. Not only can you repurpose the potato peels, but you can also reuse the frying oil to flavor other ingredients or use it as a savory drizzle over the potato soup itself.

If you want to save time and oil, you can air fry potato peels after tossing them in olive oil and seasonings. They'll only take around eight minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to shake them halfway through for even crisping.

Potato peel crisps are the perfect savory enhancement for potato soups and an even better textural contrast to creamy or brothy soups. There are already numerous creative ways to repurpose potato peels, many of which you can incorporate into soup topping inspiration. For example, you could give fried sweet potato peels a bacon treatment by spraying them with a mixture of liquid aminos and liquid smoke fresh out of the fryer. It'll give a savory, crunchy boost to a creamy and sweet, sweet potato soup.

You can use the same treatment for Yukon gold or russet peels for a crispy savory garnish to sprinkle over this vegan loaded baked potato soup. Season them with onion powder, garlic powder, buttermilk powder, and dried parsley for a sour cream and onion flavor to brighten a potato leek soup. Toss them in nutritional yeast or parmesan with freshly cracked pepper or red pepper flakes for a salty, nutty, and spicy garnish. Smoky paprika, cayenne, and garlic salt would give corn and potato chowder a nice smoky and spicy complement. It's best to season the crispy peels while they're still hot and glistening with oil so that the seasonings will stick.