The Luscious Way To Fancy-Up Your Potato Chips

Classic, sea salt and vinegar, jalapeño, kettle cooked, or ruffled, chips are the ultimate snack food. Cheap and familiar, these crunchy potato delights are great on their own, but they can also add incredible texture and flavor when layered into sandwiches, topped on casseroles, or served with a dip. But what if we told you that there's a way to elevate potato chips to the max in an easy yet luxurious way? 

Recently, there's been a trend towards combining luxury items with more unpretentious, common foods, reports Restaurant Business. From fried chicken with Champagne to lobster mac and cheese, this spotlight on lowbrow foods is catering to a new and eclectic consumer that Delve describes as "a cultural omnivore." Craving the comforts of simplicity but the intrigue of luxury, many are turning to unique food pairings that blend the two categories.

Potato chips have proven to be the ideal budget-friendly food that ticks all the boxes in terms of satisfaction, with their crunchy and salty goodness and easy transportability. However, to give chips a more grown-up makeover, you can infuse a bit of elegance with a couple quality ingredients. While some dishes might benefit from a pinch of flaky Maldon sea salt or a drizzle of truffle oil, potato chips can be fancied-up with a seaworthy addition.

Becoming increasingly popular in mainstream millennial culture, Paste Magazine explains that caviar is gracing bar menus and brunch specials — caviar bumps ("licking caviar from your own hand") are even trending. So, if you're looking to amp up the luxury the next time you open up a bag of chips, look no further than to the dark and buttery pearls.

A one-bite wonder, The Takeout recommends pairing potato chips with a spoonful of crème fraîche and a dollop of caviar. Layered ever so delicately, the combination creates the ultimate balance of crunch and cream, along with salty and savory deliciousness. Just add a bottle of Champagne and you've got a million-dollar match.

While classic chips paired with milky crème fraîche and onyx beads of briny Royal Baika caviar are a reliably tasty trio, Food & Wine recommends experimenting with chip flavors and caviar varieties until you find your ideal match. For instance, you might want to use homemade purple potato chips or swap black caviar for ruby roe instead. For a more cost-effective version, you could even try topping chips with sour cream and smoked salmon. Happy snacking!