A Balancing Act: Fareway Kettle Cooked Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips

When I find myself away from home, I like to stop at a grocery store wherever I am to compare and contrast what's on offer versus what I have available to me at home. I don’t dedicate a lot of time to this nor do I go far out of my way to hit a grocery store. But, if there's time and a store in fairly close proximity, I make the trek. From my admittedly limited experiences, I have concluded that supermarkets around the country generally don't offer a whole lot of regional variation when it comes to types of foods. Sure, I'll find unfamiliar brands on the shelf but rarely foods that I cannot buy down the street at my local supermarket.

I recall going to a grocery store in Alabama several years ago. The cheese selection was inferior to that of any Wisconsin store, as is to be expected, but it was disappointing to find only 1 item that seemed to be Southern and unavailable at home: boiled peanuts. However, while on my first shopping trip after returning to Madison, I spied cans of boiled peanuts at Woodman's. All was not lost, though, as the store carried beers by Mississippi's Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company and one was brewed with pecans while sweet potatoes were used in another. I was happy to have had found some form of regional particularity in the store.

Better luck was had in Louisiana many years ago when I was down there to deal with my father's estate after his death. I ended up staying in the Pelican State for a few weeks because the Teamsters couldn't get a moving truck over there in anything approaching a timely manner. Everything moves more slowly in the South, you see. Anyway, I was down there alone for 2 or 3 weeks so I had plenty of time to check out what the local supermarket had on offer.

It was no surprise that the cheese selection made me realize how spoiled we are here in Wisconsin because it was not good. I also recall that they had ready-to-eat fried chicken dirt cheap. It was like a dozen pieces of dark meat – the best kind – for something outrageously cheap – around $5. While there may have been more regional delectations, I can only remember 2 and my delve into the blog archives came up empty.

One aisle was all stuff you'd need living down on the bayou. A section of it was dedicated to seasoning for crawfish boils. Next to that was a seemingly infinite variety of breading for fish and shrimp. And across from that was perhaps the ultimate convenience in Cajun cooking: pre-made roux. The first and only time I've seen it at a store. The second unique item was mayhaw jelly. Mayhaw trees grow in the South and the jelly made from their berries was a delightful sweet treat for me.

Tangentially, I discovered that bratwurst was not unknown in the town where my father had lived. A gentleman of some means lived there who was originally from Wisconsin and brats from Wisconsin were imported every year for a festival that I can recall nothing else about.

Recently my Frau and I took a trip to Dubuque and we had the time to visit a Fareway supermarket on our way back from the gardens/arboretum (they're wonderful so go there sometime). Fareway is a chain based in Iowa and most of its stores are west of the Mississippi River and none in Wisconsin. Before our trip I did a little internet research to find out if Dubuque (or Iowa more generally) had a dish or food item that it was known for. I mean no offense to Iowans when I note that I couldn't find anything that fit the bill and was left with what I already knew: they grow a lot of corn and raise a lot of pigs in Iowa.**

We wandered to the snack aisle and saw bags of Sterzing's Potato Chips, an Iowa brand that was unknown to me. Unfortunately, Sterzing's had no salt & vinegar chips on offer. But Fareway did.

These chips were a lovely golden yellow and most of them had brown splotches on them, usually at spots where the potato was at its thinnest. The bag advertised that they were sliced "extra thick" and this was easily visible. Aristotle himself would appreciate the aroma here as potato and oil were present in nearly equal proportions with both being complemented by some sharp vinegar tang.

The extra thickness and the cooking process gave them a definite kettle crunch. Salt was average, I'd say. Enough to enhance the flavor but not stand out or get in the way. The vinegar taste was much the same - middle of the road. Finally, I'll note the chips had a nice earthy-sweet potato flavor. Lactose was listed on the ingredients list but I am unsure how much, if at all, it contributed to the potato taste.

Overall, I'd say Fareway (or Fareway's hired spudsmith) did a very good job. These are some of the best smelling chips I've come across as potato, oil, and vinegar were all present in good measure. Similarly, the flavor found a harmony between roughly equal amounts of sweetness and earthiness which I really liked. My only gripe is that need a bit more vinegar. These were pleasantly piquant but I prefer a bit more sharpness in the acetic acid department.

**I'll cop to having poor Internet search skills as Dubuque does indeed have an indigenous dish: the Turkey and Dressing Sandwich. See footnote here.