Rating: ©©©©-1/2 chips (lip-smacking)

Summer 2015 is officially here! Do you know what we mean by that? THEY’RE BAAACK!!!!!

Lay’s all new ‘Do Us A Flavor’ contest is back! Can we just put it out there that we really appreciate and love that Lay’s has made this an annual tradition! As humungous chip fanatics and consumers (just like you!), we cannot begin to tell you how giddy we get each time this contest comes around. Who would have thought that just two short years ago (when Lay’s brought us the likes of Cheesy Garlic Bread, Sriracha, and of course our personal favorite, CHICKEN & WAFFLE!!), that this contest would become a THING? And in 2015 we would be seeing the likes of Greektown Gyro, West Coast Truffle Fries, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, and New York Reuben?!?

In case there are any of you out there who are still unfamiliar with this contest. Lay’s is once again offering up the chance for one lucky individual to win a million smackers (ONE MILLION DOLLAR$$) for creating an all new potato chip flavor. We’re assuming that there were thousands of flavors submitted, and Lay’s has narrowed it down to four finalists. Now it is time for us to vote on the best of those four! This year Lay’s has once again allowed the flavor creators to pair each of their unique flavors with a specific style of chip, ensuring the best delivery medium for the flavor. Let’s get down to business.

First up: Kettle Cooked Greektown Gyro

Submitted by: James Wagner of Wichita Falls, TX

Chip Review’s flavor creativity rating (scale: 1 – 10): 8

Chip Review’s excitement for this flavor level (scale: 1 – 10): 8

Well, well, well, look at what we stumbled upon during a recent visit to the big blue store. And by stumbled upon we of course mean that we made a specific trip to our local Walmart hoping to spot any of the new ‘Do Us A Flavor’ chips, and the only ones we found were these Greektown Gyro flavored kettle chips. But, that being said, what a deliciously unique flavor to start out with!! Seriously, in our opinion these have set the flavor bar extremely high, and those other flavors will have to really step up their game if they hope to steal our vote away from these!

So, we all know what gyros are right? They’re those sandwiches from the local fair that your grand-pappy used to call jai-rows… Well, in case you are in that boat, or really don’t know what they are, gyros are a traditional Greek sandwich of sorts. A quick Google search told us that Gyro comes from the Greek word for turn, which would stem from the spinning vertical spit that the higher fat content meat (such as lamb or beef) is sliced from. This meat is flavored with loads of spices that could include salt, paprika, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper and chile powder (and many others). The meat is crammed into a folded pita (sort of taco style), and then splashed with a creamy tzatziki sauce (we’ll explain this later), and topped with tomatoes and some onion.

In our opinion, Lay’s has done as well as any of us could have possibly hoped they could do translating a fatty and flavorful meat sandwich into potato chip form! Right off the bat there is a strong dash of flavorful herbaceous notes. These fragrant herbs are certainly familiar to our palettes but tough to accurately distinguish. Oregano perhaps? Marjoram, who knows? Definitely parsley, but is that thyme or dill?? So, we’re not exactly sure on the herbs, but they definitely got our taste buds interested in where these chips were headed! Next, comes the easily identifiable, and spot on, creamy tzatziki sauce layer of flavor. That cool and creamy yogurt (sour cream), and cucumber sauce, smooths out the entire equation. For any of you out there who are also unfamiliar with this staple Greek condiment, probably the easiest way to describe this one to you would be – think sour cream and onion chips, only sub the onion for garlic, and add some flecks of dill. In other words, this of course pairs perfectly with Lay’s kettle cooked chips! At the tail end of the chip flavor spectrum comes a final splash of those rich and powerful seasonings associated with gyro meat. We’re talking cumin, chili powder, garlic, and pepper. If our taste buds weren’t already dancing, these flavors put them into overdrive!

Plain and simple, these chips are really something. An amazingly complex marriage of flavors that in our opinion works! Do they taste like meat at all, not really, but they trick our minds just enough with all of the other flavors that we were perfectly fine with that! Bravo! Sorry other 2015 Do Us A Flavor flavors!! You’ve got your work cut out for you!

This time around rather than just ranking 2015’s new flavors against each other, we’ve opted to rank every single ‘Do Us A Flavor’ flavor against one another!

Chip Review’s Lay’s ‘Do Us A Flavor’ rankings:

1. Chicken & Waffle

2. Greektown Gyro

3. Cheesy Garlic Bread

4. Cappuccino

5. Sriracha

6. Wasabi Ginger

7. Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese

8. Mango Salsa

Still to taste: West Coast Truffle Fries, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, and our personal most excited for: New York Reuben!! Stay tuned for reviews of these other flavors once we find them.

As always, these are our thoughts, we would love to hear what you think. Agree or disagree, let us know.

Chips discovered at Walmart; Villa Park, IL

Voting ends October 18th, so make sure you go to the link below, and let Lay’s know which flavor should stick around for longer than a minute!!

Lay’s Official vote for your favorite

Chip Ratings Scale:

(1/4 increments)

© – return to sender

©© – tolerable

©©© – notable

©©©© – lip-smacking

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