I used to love potato chips. Ripping the bag open, the crunch, the salty blast - it was the perfect snack at lunch or on lazy Sunday afternoons watching the game. Of course, as good as the chips were while I munched, I usually didn’t feel so good after a few handfuls or, in the worst-case scenario, finishing up the whole bag.

Why the post-chip hangover? Because potato chips are an empty food, filled with preservatives and additives that your body has to wrestle with in order to manage. The only thing the chip bag has going for it is convenience, and when you are talking feelgood food, that just isn’t good enough.

While you won’t find bagged chips in the feelgood pantry, whole potatoes are definitely on the shelf. Potatoes pack a strong nutrient punch as a complex carbohydrate that offers significant quantities of manganese, chromium, selenium, and is a good source of vitamin C, B vitamins, and potassium.

Like a great date, potatoes are socially versatile, you can bring them to a country breakfast or an elegant dinner and they will fit right in. Maybe most importantly they are comforting and familiar, and by preparing them at home you can reclaim the healthy properties of chips and fries.

Potato patties are a fun spin-off of potato chips. Although you won’t get the crunch of a bagged chip you will get a crispy crust filled with a warm creamy center. Add a blue cheese dip or applesauce and you have a perfect Super Bowl snack or great side dish for any meal.

This recipe is adapted from One Potato Two Potato by Roy Finamore and Molly Stevens, this is my go-to cookbook when working with potatoes. Potato patties are also called latkes, potato pancakes, and potato cakes.

Potato Patties

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 ½ cups chopped carrot
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dredging
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• ½ cup grapeseed oil for frying

Scrub and clean potatoes (but leave skins on) and add to a large pot. Cover potatoes with at least one inch of cold water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes can be pierced by a fork. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes; you want them to still be sturdy and retain their shape. Place the potatoes in a colander in the sink and allow them to cool.

Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Test the temperature of the oil by adding a single chopped onion; it should sizzle slightly. Add remaining onions and season with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are golden (about five minutes), using a wooden spoon to stir occasionally. Add the carrots and garlic in with the onions and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from the sauté pan and spread out on a plate to cool.

Grate the cooled potatoes using the largest setting of a box grater. Some of the skins will go through the grater with the potato flesh while other skins will accumulate outside of the grater (you can throw the leftover skins into the compost or trash). Dump the grated potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Put the cooked onions, carrots, and garlic into a food processor and pulse gently a few times, just enough to break the vegetables down into smaller pieces. Then add them to the mixing bowl with the potatoes. Add the beaten egg and three tablespoons of flour using your hands to evenly integrate all of the ingredients. The batter should be just thick enough to hold its shape. If it is still a little wet, add a touch more flour.

Shape into small balls (about a ½ inch to 1 inch in diameter) by using the same technique that you would use to make meatballs (gently tossing the mixture back and forth between your hands and lightly shaping it into compact ball). Lay the potato balls onto a plate or cutting board.

Place cooling racks onto a baking sheet and slide into the oven set at 250°F.

Heat 3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large non-stick skillet* set over high heat. Take a handful of flour and place into a bowl, then dredge the potato balls by gently rolling them in the flour. Working in batches of 4 balls, drop the ball into the skillet and press lightly to flatten them. Cook for about 5 minutes and then flip over. The patties should be crisp on both sides. If the patties are browning too quickly reduce the heat.

Transfer the cooked patties to the racks in the oven so they remain warm while you fry the remaining patties.

Make Ahead:

• The patties can be made up to four hours ahead. After frying the patties, drain them on a paper towel lined platter. When you are ready to re-heat place on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

*When using a non-stick skillet it is important that you use a heat-resistant rubber tool so you don’t scratch the non-stick surface.