Kale Chips: You Can't Eat Just One

I love kale. Actually, I love all leafy greens, so I don't need to dress them up into something else in order to enjoy them. Even Ella, the discriminating almost 3 year old, loves greens. She'll eat spinach over mashed potatoes any day which I think is odd, but whatever, I guess I should just be glad that she eats her greens.

So when I saw a new way to use kale, I decided to try it. It really couldn't be easier. You just toss some kale with a bit of olive oil and salt, and maybe a bit of cheese and roast in a low oven for 30-45 minutes. Voila, kale chips. And they are just about as addictive as potato chips.

I tried one batch with cavolo nero, aka dinosaur kale which is my absolute favorite. It was good, but somehow reminded me of nori, not necessarily a bad thing. And they display beautifully in a glass. I think these would be great to serve with cocktails or to put out for guests to nibble on while you finish preparing dinner. They're also really great after work while you're thinking about what to cook for dinner.

I tried another batch with some beautiful curly red kale. I actually think that I prefer these. The curly leaves provide for some interesting texture and crevices for cheese to stick in.


Kale Chips
(adapted from Dan Barber at Epicurious. com)

One bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 300F

Remove the large ribs from the kale. In a large bowl, toss the kale with the olive oil and salt. Spread the kale out on a baking sheet in one layer. You may need to use 2 sheets. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on if using. Continue to roast until crisp, another 20-30 minutes.