
Do you ever feel like you’re on the verge of a breakthrough, but you’re not quite sure how you’ll do it? This has been my mindset lately. I’ve been so inspired in different areas of my life to create meaningful change with things like personal growth, career dreams, family life, etc. You could say that a little self-help inspo has struck me! I’ve felt stuck with indecision and fear for a while now, and the motivation finally hit me to actively do something about getting unstuck. It’s easy to just go through the motions each day.
For most of my life, I’ve always been trying to “fix myself”…this can be a positive thing (such as when I’m trying to be the best version of myself I can be), but it can also turn into a very toxic mindset. It’s easy for me to veer to the dark side of self-improvement and lose sight of my qualities and self-worth. Anyone who suffers from this tendency knows that it’s not a particularly fun way to live. You never feel “ready” because there’s always something to fix or a goal to achieve before being worthy of your and others acceptance. I’m working to make progress in this area. It’s kind of hard to explain, but maybe you can relate?
I have Dr. Brené Brown to thank for my recent bout of inspiration. I first became enamoured with Brené after watching her TED talk on vulnerability years ago and listening to her on Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast. I’ve read The Gifts of Imperfection twice, and plan on reading it a third time soon (it’s a quick read and easy to devour in a couple evenings). There’s so much wisdom to soak up, and I learn things each time I read it. Currently, I’m reading Daring Greatly (which I’m finding slower, but still learning from it), and hope to read this one and this one next. I’ve been carving out some reading time in the evenings lately, and it feels so good to get back into it! I’m also (late to the party) using my Kindle reader on my phone and love how I can read a few pages here and there while I’m waiting for an appointment or when I have time to kill. I’d love to hear if you’re reading anything inspiring lately too!
“As children we found ways to protect ourselves from vulnerability, from being hurt, diminished, and disappointed. We put on armor; we used our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors as weapons, and we learned how to make ourselves scarce, even to disappear. Now as adults we realize that to live with courage, purpose, and connection—to be the person whom we long to be—we must again be vulnerable. We must take off the armor, put down the weapons, show up, and let ourselves be seen.”
~ Daring Greatly, p. 112.










Game Night Crispy Potato Bruschetta

Yield
30 potato rounds
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
The first time I made this healthy comfort food recipe, Eric and I had the song Ave Maria playing (Michael Bublé version...so hypnotizing!), and we fell into a trance as we ate crispy round after crispy round of potato bruschetta. Needless to say, we heard the angels singing and I think you will, too! This recipe serves two hungry people as a main or five as an appetizer. The best tip I can give you when making these is to serve it directly on the baking sheet (if you can!) as it keeps the rounds a bit warmer compared to transferring to a platter, and also to top the rounds and serve them right away. If they sit for longer than 10 minutes, they’ll start to lose their fantastic crispiness and soften considerably. This recipe is inspired by the Taco Fiesta Potato Crisps in The Oh She Glows Cookbook (also a delicious appetizer option!) and Potatoes USA.
Ingredients
For the potatoes:
- 2 large (500 g total) Russet potatoes (unpeeled)
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) grapeseed oil or virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
For the Avocado-Tomato topping:
- 2 medium (7 g) garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup (15 g) lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 cups (344 g/12-ounces) grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- 1 large (240 g) ripe avocado
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220ºC) and line an extra-large (or 2 medium) baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- With a sharp knife, slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Make sure they’re not any thinner than that, or they might not be sturdy enough to pick up with your hands and the edges will burn more easily while cooking.
- Place the rounds into the centre of one baking sheet in a mound. Toss with the oil until all sides of the rounds are fully coated. Spread into a single layer, spacing them a 1/2-inch apart. Sprinkle liberally with salt.
- Roast the potatoes for 25 to 35 minutes (I do 30), flipping once halfway through baking, until tender and golden brown in some spots. I prefer these slightly overcooked so they’ll crisp up a bit around the edges.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a large food processor, mince the garlic and basil until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes and pulse—only 10 to 14 times—until the tomatoes are chopped into almond- and pea-sized pieces. Remove the bowl, take out the blade and set aside, and stir in the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Set aside to marinate.
- Five minutes before the potatoes are ready, dice the avocado very small into almond-sized pieces. Fold the diced avocado into the tomato mixture. Taste and stir in more salt if desired. The mixture will look quite juicy/watery, but this is normal!
- After removing the potatoes from the oven, add another generous sprinkle of salt on top. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon avocado-tomato mixture onto a fork and strain out the juices by tapping the inside of the bowl. Place the strained mixture onto the centre of a potato round and repeat this process for the rest of the rounds.
- Serve immediately, directly from the baking sheet(s)—I find serving from the baking sheet keeps them warmer, but if you prefer you can transfer the rounds to a platter before adding the topping. If the potatoes sit they will soften and lose their crispness, so I don’t recommend letting them sit around for longer than 10 minutes (usually not a problem in this house!). If you have any avocado-tomato mixture leftover feel free to polish it off with some tortilla chips!
Tip:
Up the glow factor: Sprinkle my Vegan Parmesan Cheese on top.
Should your potatoes become soft from sitting for too long, these reheat well on a sauté pan, preheated over medium heat, for 1 to 2 minutes. This results in slightly browned bottoms and revives the firm texture without affecting the toppings.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Oh Eric, what a sport for being my food photography model, hah. There were some heavy sighs when his arms got tired…no one said being a model was easy! Okay, maybe they did say that…but just ask Eric about the struggles!

In case you’re wondering – these “photoshoot” potato bruschettas were SO COLD by the time we finally got to eat them. Sniff, sniff. But they were still worth eating! And we’ve enjoyed them many times piping hot out of the oven which is simply the best. If you try them out, I’d love to hear what you think and see your photos, so don’t forget to tag them with #ohsheglows on social media!
Angela, I’m re-reading, “Co-dependent No More” by Melody Beattie. I must have read it 25 or 30 years ago and I am learning so much more this time around. The Brene Brown material is going to be something I’ll come back to in a bit. I must not be ready for it yet. This is off-topic but I wanted to share this because I think it could help others. The other night, I was disappointed and sad about something completely out of my control. I felt anxious because I was afraid that I’d stay sad and become depressed. Then I stopped myself and just felt sad and disappointed. I asked myself what I could control about the situation (only myself and my response). I felt sad and disappointed…and then I felt better. It was so much easier to feel the feelings than to push them down and do something self-destructive. I really feel like the only way the sadness will take over and become depression is if I try to push it away. I don’t mean to over-simplify. I’ve done a lot of head and heart work, therapy, etc. I think back at the years I tried to push feelings away by eating, not eating, drinking, trying to be perfect, etc. I don’t like to look back and have regrets or wonder where I’d be if I’d been able to let myself feel the feelings as they came up, so I won’t. But I do hope someone gets something from this post. It took me almost 50 years to get here. I’m so grateful that I have come so far. Thanks for inspiring me to write. I have not tried this recipe yet. Ha!
Hi Melissa, This is so beautiful and I’m grateful you shared…thank you! I can relate to a lot of what you’ve written. And yes, isn’t it amazing when we let ourselves feel permission to feel the emotion(s)? I recognized years ago that my eating disorder was an attempt to push many negative feelings and experiences away…to face them is much harder, but necessary. Big hugs!
Thank you for this recipe. I made it this morning and it’s delicious!
Well, honestly, this is best snack recipe i ever came across atlest for my Childrens, I really liked this one!
So I sliced the potatoes very thinly, and they ended up like crispy kettle chips. I also did not put the tomato topping on the potatoes until they were on the plate, as I just preferred serving it cool like regular bruschetta. I had to use shredded cheese instead of fresh mozzarella, and green onions instead of basil, but it worked well. your all recipe looks very good and delicious, cant wait to make them all.
Thanks for sharing.
These.are.amazing!! We have friends over on Sunday nights for Game of Thrones, I’m the only plant based one, they all bring pizza and wings and I have been struggling to feel satisfied with my veggies during social events. HOWEVER, I made these and I did not feel like I was missing a thing! All the omnivores devoured them and were raving about how good they were. Insanely easy and so delicious, thank you!
These are amazing super fast and easy to prepare and the potatoes crisped up beautifully. No more bread bruschetta for us on the couch watching the game. I want to ask what would be the tip to store them for reuse? My family just loved these crispy potato bruschettas. These rounds are perfect as a single bite to serve with tea.
Loved the recipe! This is a perfect recipe to be served in small gatherings. The ingredients are healthy and children will absolutely like it too.
We’ve made this recipe about uhhhh…. 1,000,000 times since you posted it. But seriously! So delicious, great for guests, a side dish, light meal, or just because! You literally cannot go wrong.
Ange – I’m a little confused here: are you still blogging? I haven’t seen any activity from you in months – hope all is well with you and yours!
Hey Karen, Thank you for checking in with me! I appreciate it. I’ve been trying to wrap up my 3rd cookbook (I’ve been so head down in it, I haven’t even officially announced it, whoops). It has been intense! I will be coming back to the blog though…I’m actually working on a recipe right now that I hope to share in the next couple weeks. Thanks so much for your patience. I have not yet mastered juggling motherhood with multiple work projects very well.
Oh wonderful to hear all is well and re. your upcoming release..such exciting news! I was concerned bec. you relayed that you’ve been been going through some challenges in recent months. I share many of your sensibilities, so I’m glad to hear your absence is just a reflection of your tunnel vision focus…til soon! xo
I would love to find something OTHER than the potatoes for these. I can’t eat potatoes. Im low carb! Any suggestions?!
Hey Angela,
Anything by Stewart Wilde will take you a step deeper into energy flow and keeping your power… he’s also a great writer so the books are quite enjoyable, even humorous at times…
Best,
Paige
Looking very flavorful, quality with solid sustenance. It’s a short time recipe and easy to prepare. This Crispy Potato Bruschetta is really good as it is easy to make with not much ingredients needed. And there is no doubt about the health benefits of it. We also take it like a breakfast option because of it’s vitamins and many other important nutrition.
That’s a new way to enjoy bruschetta. Very simple and easy to prepare too!
Its a nice recipe and have some good nutritious value in the meal.
Looks so Yummy! Will give a try this week!
I love the creativity! My family loves potatoes so this will be a great way to try something new. I’m excited to dive in already… :)
I am definetely going to try these. They look like a great appetiser for a party and we’re holding one this weekend. Do you think I could use fry light spray on the potatoes instead of cooking oil as I know some people coming are on diets?
I don’t like avocado so what can I use in place. I would like to use yams in place of white potatoes
Have you seen the Brene Brown Netflix talk! Awesome! Self-improvement is great, but yeah, don’t let it get toxic. Baby steps are ok! And so is failure! Just get up and keep going!
On a totally different note: have you ever tried canning or fermenting something like brushetta? I know it can be done with other tomato-based recipes. Just curious!
Hey Priti, You are so right! Failure is okay – we often forget this (I know I do!). I love Brene Brown’s talks :)
I haven’t tried traditional canning or fermenting before, but I would love to some day! Hope you are well. Apologies for the delayed reply as I missed your comment originally!
Great side dish, appetizer, or snack especially for people who have to eat gluten free and dairy free. Took to my group and they loved them.