Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips with Chipotle Ranch Sauce

·         1 large, uniformly-shaped russet potato, scrubbed well and sliced into 1/8" rounds*

·         cooking spray

·         3/4 C. shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese

·         salt & pepper to taste

·         2 T. crumbled bacon (about 2 slices) - I used real bacon bits

·         chopped parsley or chives, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover

for 5 minutes.  Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting

 board.  Pat to dry.

Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay out potato slices so they are overlapping

on it.  Spray lightly with additional cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  

Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese & bacon.  Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until

cheese is melted & bubbly.  Serve with chipotle ranch sauce (recipe below).  Serves 2.

*You can use 2 medium-sized potatoes rather than 1 large.  Also, I like to leave the skin on

 but you can peel the potatoes if you prefer.

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce

·         1 T. ranch dressing

·         3 T. sour cream

·         1/4 t. chipotle chili powder

·         1/8 t. cayenne (adjust more or less depending on how spicy you want).

·         1/8 t. salt

·         1/8 t. garlic powder
Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine.  Refrigerate any leftovers