Move Over Nachos - Potato Chip Towers Are The New 'It' Snack For Super Bowl Parties
Sure, someone's going to topple it over at some point, but that's just part of the fun of a potato chip tower — a great snack to share anytime —but especially at halftime. This dish is addictively delicious in that can't-eat-just-one way, making it ideal for a Super Bowl spread. Whether it's homemade chips or your favorite store-bought ones, this treat involves a mess of them, and just the right combination of toppings, layered and spackled together into a crispy potato mountain.
The story behind these sensational spuds goes like this: We collectively lost it over Paleta Ibérico Con Chips, the viral sensation circa 2020 from Ernesto's, the popular NYC Basque restaurant. They serve their famous house-made potato chips with tender slices of Ibérico ham stacked in a heaping mound on a warm plate. Core memory unlocked. Let's do this. So, step one: Obtain the chips. Frying them at home is easy peasy, but there are some things to consider before you try to make your own potato chips, like the work involved versus the yield.
If your guests are craving a live cooking experience, Dutch oven kettle chips are fun, as long as you have the right tools. A wok or a heavy braising pan offers surface area, and that's exactly what we need to cook a large amount of thinly sliced potatoes all at once. Consider investing in a stainless steel spider strainer (like this one by OXO on Amazon) to scoop up batches of potato chips, too. Now, let's get them topped and piled as high as they'll go.
These are not nachos, these are chips with drip
If you don't want to make your own chips, you can also keep things simple and opt for 32-ounce party-sized bags of Lay's Kettle Cooked Originals (available on Amazon) or peruse our ranking of the 20 best chip brands for more ideas. For an homage to Ernesto's, layer them on a plate in between slices of prosciutto and parmesan cheese grated on a Microplane, so the cheese is nice and fluffy and perched right on top, like the crown jewel of Mount Potato Chip. We went for sliced pepperoni sauteed for a few minutes 'til crispy and paired it with blue cheese.
We also hit these chips with two more internet sensations for the ultimate Super Bowl Chower (chips plus tower). There will be no apologies. Before Ernesto's famous potatoes, the internet blessed us with the South Korean Honey Butter Chip craze of 2014. These super-sweet chips still sell out within hours of hitting the shelves, but you can nab them directly from the Haitai Store on Amazon. So, buttery chips and honey — another delightful flavor combo — now lives rent-free inside our hungry heads.
The answer, for our purposes, is hot honey, another viral food trend that hit hard in 2024 and is clearly not going anywhere. It's just what we need to glue this whole thing together. Add the chips to a large bowl before adding as much of this spicy Calabrian chile honey as you like. Toss them gently with your hands (gloves are your friend, here). Then, pile on your favorite meat and cheese pairings to push this appetizer into Super Bowl dinner territory. Or, skip the meat and cheese altogether for a vegan crowd-pleaser — and don't forget the wet napkins.