Chili Crunch Topper

A bowl of chili is a comfort, but it can get a little soft and samey spoonful after spoonful. The fix takes about five minutes: crush a couple cups of Traditional Mitten Chips into chunky pieces and pile them on top. The clean corn flavor sits right where you would expect a corn chip to live in a bowl of chili, so it tastes like it belongs there rather than like a garnish you added for looks. And because these chips are flaky but sturdy, they hold their crunch against hot chili longer than a thinner chip would — you actually get to enjoy the texture instead of watching it dissolve. Keep the crush coarse; squeeze the bag gently rather than reaching for a rolling pin, because the chunky pieces are what give you something to bite. Add them right before serving and keep extra crushed chips nearby for the inevitable refill. Cheese, sour cream, and a little diced onion round it out. The same trick works on soup, stew, casseroles, even a bowl of mac and cheese — anywhere a dish needs a crunchy finish. For an extra-crispy version, toast the crushed chips in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil until golden first.