Gourmet potato chips—a.k.a. potato thins: very crisp, very crunchy, very tasty—in twelve flavors. Photograph by Matt Chun.

William Poll Potato Thins:
Striking Gold

If there were a Potato Chip Olympics—and THE NIBBLE will hold it one of these days—the Baked Potato Thins from renowned New York provisioner William Poll would be a contender for the gold medal.  Of thousands of products tasted at a national showcase of specialty foods, these gourmet chips got the “Where Have You Been All My Life” award.

Made from Yukon Gold potatoes, these thick, crisp, impeccably-seasoned potato wafers are a true descendent of the original chip that was born in Saratoga, New York in 1853.  Deliberately overcooked and over-salted to affront a testy Cornelius Vanderbilt, by an even testier chef he had accused of under-cooking his previous order of fried potatoes, those original hand-made chips delighted the multi-millionaire.

But the original “Saratoga chips” were as much like today’s mass-marketed potato chips as the finest handmade breads compare to the bland, cardboard-like stuff dispensed in school lunchrooms.

William Poll lets you taste what Vanderbilt had. Poll hand makes what he calls Baked Potato Thins (though they’re not thin and fragile like commercial chips, and much heartier than other artisanal chips—we’d call them gourmet potato chips). He uses the Yukon Gold potato, a yellow-fleshed tuber adored by leading chefs for its deep flavor and creamy texture. Cooked in small batches with 12 different choices of seasoning, these superb gourmet chips offer a taste and quality perhaps even better than what Vanderbilt enjoyed.

William Poll Baked Potato Thins are made with no preservatives or additives. The chips have a four-month shelf life and come packaged in sleek, anti-crush four-ounce boxes. There’s a two-case minimum (12 boxes per case = $36/case + $10 shipping for both). Each of the four-ounce boxes is an individual serving (far too good to share): depending on the size of your household or guest traffic, they’ll be gone in no time.  Think of them not just as nibbles for your home and spiffy additions to cocktails, but as party favors, thank-you’s for little favors, gifts for any occasion. Planning ahead, you have a goodie box for campers, Halloween treats for particular Trick-or-Treaters, holiday stocking stuffers, and special small gifties for those to whom you’d like to give a little memento they won’t soon forget.

The only frustration is how to choose among the flavors.  The best sellers are Original, Herbs de Provence, Mediterranean and Rosemary. Our personal favorites are Rosemary and Sesame; but there are no wrong decisions. You might want to order a case of each and have a tasting party. 

Believe us—William Poll Baked Potato Thins will become part of your repertoire.  And if you don’t tell your friends where you got them, invitations to your parties will always be in-demand.

—Karen Hochman

FORWARD THIS NIBBLE to your chip-loving friends.

WILLIAM POLL BAKED POTATO THINS Garlic, Herbs de Provence, Italian, Jalapeño, Mediterranean, Moroccan, Onion, Original, Rosemary, Sesame Shallot & Pepper, Sicilian 4-Ounce Box 3 for $25 To purchase, telephone 1.800.993.7655 or 1.212.288.0501 Or print and fax or e-mail the order form at WilliamPoll.com Read more articles on potato chips, including the history of the potato chip.
		William Poll Baked Potato Thins come in a box, not in a bag. The only resemblance they have to familiar chips is the word “potato” in the title. These are gourmet potato chips.

Prices and flavor availability are verified at publication but are subject to change.

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