Recently our friend Paul asked if I had ever made kale chips. Kale chips? As in the leafy green my grandfather used to grow in his garden?? And chip as in a, um, chip?? “They’re quite good,” he assured us in his British accent. Hmmm….I thought. In all my cooking and perusing of cookbooks and reading recipes, I’ve never heard of a kale chip.
Intrigued, I asked how he made them. “It’s quite simple, really. Cut the leaves into pieces, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes,” he said. He assured me that would be like a potato chip. I was a little skeptical and wondered what I might be getting myself into.
Never having had a dish is all the reason I need to venture out, buy the ingredients, and give it a whirl. Off to the Madison Farmer’s Market I went and was delighted to find fresh kale. The vendor asked what I was about to make with it and I questioningly told him kale chips and explained that a friend had told me about them and I was curious. He smiled and picked up a recipe card from his table with a recipe for kale chips. Ok, so Paul wasn’t making this up.
I washed and rinsed the leaves and cut them into pieces. Tossed them with olive oil and some smoked sea-salt. Popped them in the oven on 350 for about 10 minutes. Pulled them out and was totally amazed that they were actually getting crispy! No way! I popped them back into the oven for about 2 more minutes to crisp them some more.
After they were nicely crisped I popped one right in my mouth. It was warm , crispy and salty just like a potato chip! A turnip greenish flavored potato chip! I loved them. My husband walked in, sampled one and said, “Tastes like cabbage. They’re all yours.”
The flavor of the kale took me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen. My grandparents grew a variety of greens and kale reminded me of a cross between a turnip green and mustard leaves. I remember eating it fresh right from their garden many times.
A couple of things I learned....next time bake them on a rack so the heat can circulate above and below. I think it will make a crisper chip. Secondly, they are not crispy the next day so don’t plan for leftovers.
And next time, I’m going to sprinkle them with a little Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Sweet ‘N Spicy Cocoa Rub for a touch of sweet and spicy deliciousness.
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