Starting from the premise that an exclusive beer requires an exclusive snack, the Swedish brewery St. Eriks prepared a beautifully designed box containing 5 hand-made potato chips (of course from potatoes planted and harvested by hand as well).
World's most expensive potato chips are offered by a Swedish Brewery
An exclusive beer requires an exclusive snack - that was the thought of the the Swedish brewery St. Eriks:
"Ever since the birth of our India Pale Ale we have had a troubling feeling that something was missing. And as time has passed by, we’ve slowly come to realize that the feeling has been justified. "Just have a look at the ingredients. The potatoes in particular of course...
" Because doesn’t a first class beer – like ours – deserve a world-class snack to match it?"
"Well, of course it does."
"So, together with the Swedish National Culinary Team, we decided to do something about it."
"These are not just any potato chips. These are the most exclusive potato chips in the world – or a snack worthy of our India Pale Ale, if you prefer."
Matsutake
Matsutake mushrooms
The matsutake in the chips comes from pine forests in the northern region of Sweden and was picked by hand using cotton gloves in order to preserve their quality.
Truffle Seaweed
Ascophyllum nodosum
The seaweed used in the world’s most expensive chips comes from the waters around the Faroe Islands.
Crown Dill
Crown Dill
The crown dill used was hand-picked on the Bjäre Peninsula in southern Sweden and selected for its fresh, yet powerful flavor.
Leksand Onion
For a balanced onion flavor, we used the much sought-after Leksand onion, a specific variety of the onion family that grows just outside the small Swedish town Leksand.One reason for its excellent flavor may be the fact that the onions are always planted on the eighteenth of May and harvested on the tenth of August, whatever the weather.
India Pale Ale Wort
During the process of brewing beer, the barley malt is converted into a sweet aromatic liquid known as wort.To add a hint of sweetness to the chips, freeze-dried wort was added, of the kind normally used to brew St. Eriks India Pale Ale.
Ammarnäs Potatoes
'The Potato Hill' in Ammarnäs, just outside the polar circle. The only reason potatoes can be grown this far North is because the slope faces South and and is mostly built up out of rocks, that trap the heat.
The slope is difficult for modern agricultural machines to access, which means that all potatoes are planted and harvested by hand.
St Eriks Chips close-up
Chef Pi Le:
“All of the chips have been made by hand.”The 100 boxes available - each containing just five handmade chips - were sold out in no time even though they were priced at 'just' 499 Krones (56 USD).
“It took a delicate touch, a finely honed sense of taste and time to ensure that each chip would achieve a perfect balance between the various ingredients.”
“The taste is a very Scandinavian one. … Most people recognize potatoes and onions, but what stands out is the quality. All of the ingredients are of a stature that not many will have tried before.”
“These chips are an excellent accompaniment to craft beer, or simply enjoyed on their own.”
Unclear is if they will produce another batch...
Source
St Eriks Brewery
