Beet Chips

If I'm being honest, I can't in say that I was particularly distraught at the news of the demise of Gourmet magazine.  I think I am usually somewhat nostalgic or saddened by at the news of an end of an era or institution (except, of course, evil empires) and such was the case with the ceasing of publication of Gourmet, but other than that it didn't hit me hard in a personal way.  I just didn't use the magazine that much -- I found it to be overly fancy.  The list of ingredients seemed excessive (in terms of caloric count and upscale quality) not to mention wayyyy out of my price range.  I've said it before -- I'm all about attention to detail, but finickyness without purpose sometimes annoys me.

But I was excited to receive the Gourmet cookbook -- in part because I'm always excited to receive cookbooks, but also because it seemed important to have a memento of the magazine.  It turns out, surprise surprise, that there is some really fantastic stuff in there.  This recipe for beet chips with curry dip is an example of sheer awesomeness -- easy to make, reasonably healthy, and so so good.  The chips and dip are lovely together --  possibly the perfect snack food.  Only made more perfect by enjoying them during an Arizona basketball game.

Still, they couldn't resist the urge to be fancy, suggesting that the chips be served with a dollop of the dip placed in the center and I tried this out for the sake of experimentation.  Gourmet-style:

It's pretty -- but extra time and effort was not really worth it in my opinion.  They are just as good Katie-style (i.e. dumped into a bowl):

One other great thing about Gourmet is the availability of recipes online through epicurious.com.  Here's the link to there beet chips with dip.  The only change I made was to sub lowfat greek yogurt for the sour cream, a change that I strongly suggest.