Regular potato chips are tasty but not good for you. Health-food variety veggie chips, on the other hand, can be a pricey way to indulge in slightly more nutritious snacking. But with a little time and effort, you can enjoy a third option that’s both healthful and cheap: crispy, homemade veggie chips.

There’s no need for a deep fryer and gallons of cooking oil, either. All you need, in addition to a few root vegetables, is a microwaveable plate, a hand-pumped sprayer with olive oil (I use a Misto), a little popcorn salt and a microwave oven.

Ingredients:

Fresh whole potatoes, sweet potatoes or beets

Olive oil

Popcorn salt

Directions:

1. Peel the vegetables.

2. Slice into 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch slices. (A chip-slicer or mandoline slicer is ideal, but a good, sharp knife — and careful slicing — will do as well.)

3. Lay the slices flat in a single layer on a lightly-oiled, microwaveable plate. Be careful not to overlap slices.

4. Pump-spray the chips lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with popcorn salt.

5. Set on a revolving tray in your microwave and cook at high power for 3 minutes.

6. Check chips. They’ll probably still be soft, rather than crispy, but you don’t have to turn them over.

7. If they need more cooking, return chips to microwave for another 3 minutes on high. Watch your chips carefully during this second stage of cooking: chips can go from crispy to blackened to burning (I had flaming beet slices in my oven once!) in 15 seconds or less.

8. Remove plate carefully from microwave (some plates can get very hot). Use a small spatula to lift chips from plate to a serving bowl or plate.

9. Repeat Steps 1 - 8 until all your slices are cooked.

Serving suggestions:

• Serve on their own as a healthful snack.
• Use as a garnish for grilled vegetables, fish or barbecued chicken, tempeh or tofu.

Variation suggestions:

• Instead of popcorn salt, try sprinkling chips with garlic salt, Cajun seasoning or whatever other seasonings you enjoy.
• Experiment with different root vegetables. Among those I haven’t tried yet: turnips, rutabagas, parsnips and taro.