I came across these on a recent trip to Walgreen's, believe it or not.
Good Health Natural Foods, the folks behind the world's first avocado oil potato chips, make three different flavors - Barcelona Barbecue, Chilean Lime, and regular, "with a pinch of Sea Salt." They seemed just exotic enough, also safe enough for this catastrophically picky eater to give a try.
According to the company these are the first avocado chips as I said. Avocado oil comes from the pulp around the fruit's pit, and has a much higher smoke point than other oils. It also supposedly has lots of vitamins and monounsaturated fats.
Rumor has it that similar to tofu, it carries the flavor of other foods well. Many olive oil manufacturers make avocado oil in the off season because it's a year round crop. Its main use however, disturbingly, is in cosmetics for its moisturizing and lubricative properties.
The packaging talks a lot of talk about the 'good fats,' anti-oxidants, and the miraculous virtues of avocado oil. But enough science, and hype, especially if I'm going to eat these things. The regular flavor lists only potatoes, avocado oil, and sea salt as its ingredients. The potatoes are fairly small making for a small chip - even smaller by kettle cooking. Small, but kettle twisted for excellent dipping, these aren't bad, but not great either, and they had a clean, decidedly not greasy taste.
I'm not really sure what makes the Barcelona Barbecue variety all that special, beyond the name. The ingredients are the same as the regular plus all the standard suspects when it comes to barbecue potato chip flavor. Not too hot, and kettle cooked like the regulars, so they are great for dipping.
The Chilean Lime flavored chips are the real prize of the three varieties. Not only were the chips in this bag bigger than those in the Sea Salt or Barcelona Barbecue bags, but these also had a delightfully unique lime zing to them. It's almost like a cold bubbly 7-Up on a hot day, but in a potato chip. Thumbs up.
