Dialing up the Crunch Factor

Though often overshadowed by taste, texture has always been a fundamental component in building craveable dishes. But now, evolving consumer tastes are placing a higher value on mouthfeel, sounds and other sensations that accompany texture—just look to the popularity of crackling lattes, fluffy yogurt, chewy mochi noodles, as well as more niche offerings like sushi rolls studded with pop rocks.

In the midst of this sensory innovation, crunchy potato dishes may come across as conventional and relatively uninspired. But as with all culinary creations, success is driven by the chef. This year’s Best of Flavor report proves that while crunchy, potato-based foods like french fries and chips might be the original texture stars, they are far from overplayed.

In fact, celebrity chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay has championed crunchy texture and even gone so far as to trademark his own approach. The term, Crunchified^®, denotes adding potato chips to a burger build and was the technique Flay employed when creating his Bacon Crunchburger^®. “It’s the burger that started it all,” Flay says.

The build starts simple enough: grilled-to-order Angus beef patty, American cheese and bacon in between two halves of toasted brioche. But the addition of Bobby’s signature sauce and potato chips make it wholly unique while ticking off all the flavor boxes. “It’s a perfect blend of savory and salty, with a craveable crunch factor from the potato chips.”

The Crunchified element isn’t limited to the original build and can be added as a topping to any number of burgers at Bobby’s Burgers, including chicken and vegetarian offerings. It’s also inspired the creation of other crunch-packed menu items, like the Nacho Burger, which uses blue corn chips in place of potato chips.

Sometimes, as with the Bacon Crunchburger, the simple addition of a crunchy potato accent can elevate an existing dish; in other cases, the crunchy potatoes are the dish, and other components are introduced to service it. Such is the case at Tupelo Honey, where the Parmesan-Rosemary Potato Cracklins carves its own category. Eric Gabrynowicz, SVP of culinary & beverage and corporate executive chef, describes the dish as a “step up from a simple french fry and more interesting than a regular baked potato.”

Indeed, the chef borrowed inspiration from pork cracklins—a tall order given the food’s rich flavor profile. This vegetarian spin features Idaho potatoes that are baked and then fried to yield a soft interior and crispy exterior. A generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and rosemary salt bring salty and slightly earthy notes, while chopped parsley brings a pop of green and a bit of herbaceous crunch.

Although Gabrynowicz has played around with different variations, including a loaded version, the original formula has proved the most popular and enduring. “This dish is a crowd favorite. The fluffy starchiness of the potatoes combined with simple-yet-satisfying flavors means it pairs well with fried chicken, meatloaf, roast pork, blackened seafood and more,” he says.

Crunchy potato magic can happen even when it’s administered in small doses. After all, the X factor ingredient in El Bagel’s King Guava is not the garnish of potato sticks but rather—as the name implies—the guava marmalade.

The roots of this particular dish can be traced to the earliest days of El Bagel when it was a mobile cart with limited toppings, namely cream cheese and marmalade. Once the brand upgraded to a food truck, customers were able to add an egg and papitas (house-fried potato chips). This customization morphed into a signature offering, the King Guava, which is now a top-five seller across three brick-and-mortar locations in Miami and Las Vegas.

The sandwich begins with the customer’s choice of freshly baked bagels, including poppyseed, salt, sesame, everything, rosemary-sea salt, as well as specials like jalapeño-cheddar. “It’s stacked high with a thick layer of cream cheese, topped with an over-easy fried egg and sprinkled with papitas (our house-fried potato sticks), and a heavy drizzle of guava marmalade,” says founder Matteson Koche. “Most customers add bacon, which takes the sandwich into the stratosphere!”

King Guava has a lot going on: The guava marmalade brings sweet Latin flavor; cream cheese balances this tang with creamy, slightly salty notes; and the hand-rolled bagels speak to the caliber of the ingredients while providing customers the opportunity to tailor the flavor profile without deviating from the build. Arguably, these elements would be enough to carry the dish, but the sprinkling of papitas brings an unexpected kick of savory crunch that’s as much a part of the King Guava as its namesake marmalade.