I think this flavor was first inspired by a Potato Bash we attended last month, hosted by the Cooperative Extension in attempt to elevate and celebrate the Alaskan potato. And it worked! After three hours of taste-testing 20+ different varieties of locally grown potatoes (and then allowing ourselves a two-week hiatus from potatoes of any sort), I definitely have new appreciation for the humble tuber.
Plus, it's cool to have an Alaskan-grown vegetable that's available year-round (thanks to storage capabilities). After summer's abundance has faded, we mostly eat vegetables imported from other, wamer locations in the Lower 48 and beyond. The potato keeps things close to home!
Move over, Ruffles, a new chip is in town
Alaska Chips are a product of the Alaska Chip Company, made from in-state potatoes since 2003. For our toffee, we used their classic "Alaska Chips" -- lightly salted kettle variety. (Maybe for future flavors, we'll go for the jalapeno "Volcano Chips" or the barbeque "Grizzly Chips).
We crushed the chips and coated them with a sugary, buttery toffee mixture. Once everything hardened, we slathered it with semi-sweet chocolate (because WHY NOT!?).
Folded into a sweet cream ice cream base, with a homemade fudge ribbon, this flavor is salty, sweet and maddeningly addictive!
This flavor is named "Matanuska Munchies" -- in honor of the Matanuska river, glacier and valley. The glacier feeds into the 75 mile long river, which feeds into the Knik arm of Cook Inlet (where the port of Anchorage is). The Matanuska-Susitna valley (often called Mat-Su, or just the Valley) is the area about 35 miles north of Anchorage, famous for fridge-sized cabbages at the State Fair every year.
