I went to a friend’s house recently and she had these amazing potato chips. When I reached into the bowl and popped one in my mouth, I was expecting regular, old BBQ flavor within a ridged chip. I was shocked at what I tasted. CRUNCH, crunch..mmmmmm, salt…crunch crunch crunch…mmmm, vinegar…(pupils dilate) crunch…dill pickles!…crunch crunch…BBQ, ketchup…sour cream…onion and I’m sure something else I can’t remember. I kept eating them, trying to pace myself so I didn’t seem too rude looking like I was eating all of their chips. My hostess told me they were Hannaford (A New England supermarket) brand All Dressed chips. I’m hooked!
The next day I went to a local Hannaford, ready to buy some–and they were out. No worries, most towns near me have a Hannaford or some grocery store or even a Walmart. After work, my second Hannaford visit was fruitful, so I bought a bag of the house brand. Score! A few days later, I found myself at Walmart and found Humpty Dumpty brand All Dressed. Another supermarket yielded Ridgies brand. All three of these brands have the same taste idea of all of these flavours (that spelling is a hint of where they originated), but so far they all have unique characteristics. The Hannaford brand has the vinegar flavor that comes at you first, the Ridgies finish with the ketchup flavor and the Humpty Dumpty brand is saltier.
So what’s the deal with these and why haven’t I seen them before? After Googling the term “all dressed chips”, I found many listings for chips with English descriptions with French translation below. That seemed very Canadian to me and after some digging, found this flavour combination most likely started in The Great White North, eh? If you really want to brag about being a potato chip connoisseur, try ordering some All Dressed Ruffles on Amazon for $10 a bag. Imported from Canada, ya hoser. No thanks, I’ll eat the local ones.
According to the Boston Subreddit, the Ruffles All Dressed are not as flavorful as the Humpty Dumpty brand. A couple websites about all things Maine mentioned the Humpty Dumpty brand chips as well, saying they originated in Canada and found their way into Maine and the rest of New England. I’d love to try different brands, and told my co-workers it’s all in the name of science! So far my favorite are the Hannaford brand and if anyone would like to send me chips for me to try, I’m all dressed up, ready to go! I hear Whole Foods sells ‘m too, so I’m off!
-Terry
June 2022