Potato Chips with Caviar to Kick Off a New Decade

This is not a recipe. It’s more of an idea. Because now that we’ve cooked for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah and Christmas and all the cookies in between, it’s time we give ourselves a break. 

That said, New Year’s Eve is coming right up – in four days, to be exact. And even though we might have eaten our weight in butter and sugar over the past month (just maybe), we haven’t made it to the finish line yet. Let’s put virtue off for one more day. 

For the last night of the decade, I’m endorsing the all-out, but still sensible, hors d’oeuvres: Potato Chips and Caviar. The beauty of chips and caviar is the high-low of it. Plain old potato chips, the kind that you might normally be a little bit embarrassed about throwing into your grocery cart, get dressed up with thick crème fraiche and salty, briny, pop-y caviar, turning the humble chip into something altogether fabulous. No embarrassment in these. Only a genius idea that requires no work but garners raves and makes the night feel extra-special. Just like New Year’s Eve – on the eve of a new decade – should feel. Even if you’re celebrating on your sofa watching the ball drop on tv and calling it a night at midnight, New York time.

Eat all the salads in five days. But until then, champagne with a side of chips, cream and caviar sounds just about perfect.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy 2020!

Potato Chips with Crème Fraiche and Caviar – a very loose “recipe”

Ingredients: 

Plain or ridged potato chips, preferably Lay’s or Ruffles (you can get fancy with your chips, but know that the fancier, thicker chips are often curled up, leaving less surface space for toppings)
Crème fraiche (you can use sour cream in a pinch)
Your favorite caviar
Chives, minced

Recipe directions:

Arrange the chips on a serving tray. Put a little dollop of crème fraiche on top of each chip. Using a small spoon, like a ¼ teaspoon measure, makes this easy. Top the cream with as much caviar as you like, and sprinkle with chives.