Save a Bagel: Make BAGEL CHIPS!

We have many problems here in New Jersey.

We have pollution & congestion, we're overpopulated, and we have HIGH taxes.

Aside from that we have some very good points.

We have the best city in the world at our disposal (that would be New York City), we have 120 miles of beautiful coastline, we also have farms (excellent produce), and even mountains (we really do!) all within a 1 hour drive.

But the best part of living here is that you can get a decent slice of pizza (you have to look, but you will find it) and a VERY DECENT bagel.

Go elsewhere in the country and you will be eating a soft, doughy, flavorless Dunkin' Donuts style bagel. It's just white bread with a hole in the middle.

Making bagels is a lost art, who aspires to be a bagel master these days? I'm sure he or she is out there.

Personally, I like my bagels w/ lots of seeds (the bagels in the photos are shown upside down) and covered in stuff.

No plain for me (boring), no cinnamon raisin (it's not a donut) and no sundried tomato (the newest fad).

Tradition is best when it comes to bagels. Stick with poppy seed; sesame; onion; garlic; egg; pumpernickel; or an "everything" bagel.

The bagels should be shiny and golden, not white, and they should be firm on the outside with a soft, almost wet interior.

Ok, now that we have had our bagels 101 lesson, let's talk stale bagels.

Ew.

Throw them away is my usual response. You buy a bag of bagels on Sunday, and by Monday you have to throw them out (unless you freeze them right away).

Solution:
Make bagel chips.

So easy and so yummy. They last a long time and are delicious with dips and spreads.

Here's how:

CAREFULLY, using a good, heavy, serrated knife, cut the day old bagels in half on a cutting board (not sliced open, just down the center, to create a U shaped handle).

Now cut the little handle into 1/8" slices and lay on a heavy baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix some olive oil with a generous pinch of kosher salt & pepper (measurements depend on how many bagel pieces you have). Add garlic powder if you want (I want), and brush the bagel slices with the oil mixture.

Bake about 18-20 minutes total at 350F. Turn over after the first 10 minutes and be careful that they don't burn.

Lay in a paper towel to blot excess oil and store in a ziploc or paper bag for a week.

These were delicious swiped with whitefish salad!

Yum.

I'm glad I could do my part to save a bagel.

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