Crispy Kale Chips

by April Paffrath

Looks deep-fried, but it's baked.

I like kale, but I get a little sick of it after several weeks. It's not kale's fault—it's that I need something new to try with it. This weekend I made crispy, light kale chips and a new world opened up.

When Wicked Tasty Harvest began, we talked about the adventure of going through the weekly CSA share and making amazing things, even if we sometimes saw too much of a certain vegetable. I just hit my kale wall and couldn't bear to sautée it in olive oil and garlic and salt, as much as I love that garlicky flavor.

It's not that I don't like kale. I do. It's a deep green that is super healthy, and I love the heavy, almost earth-like, flavors. But a rut begins eventually and it takes a lot of chewing, depending on the bunch you get.

Last week, we got gorgeous cavolo nero or Tuscan kale in the CSA box. It's blackish green with long, narrow, and straight leaves that, bundled together, look like a forest green bouquet. The leaves had such spring to them and the intensity of the color promised beautiful flavors. But I was tapped out in the sautée department. I could have done an amazing Tuscan-style ribollita, which is what I think of when I see cavolo nero, but I didn't have the right beans or leftover bread that would make ribollita wonderful. Maybe next time. I wanted something fun and maybe a bit less super-healthy–feeling. I didn't want anything that would be served next to a scoop of nutty and wholesome grains. You know that feeling?

Cavolo nero, or Tuscan kale in the field.

We drove to Siena Farms the other day to see where out CSA share comes from. I asked Trevor, who works with Chris Kurth growing the stunning veggies, why kale is so prominent in CSA shares and farmers' markets all summer. It's not that we don't like it, but that it almost always overstays its culinary welcome. He, too, was nearing the end of his kale hospitality, but explained that kale is highly prolific and producing huge quantities. And darn it, it *is* good.

This time, I wanted a different texture. I thought about drying it and did some searching online and found several recipes for kale chips. I made some changes, added some hefty spices to stand up to the forceful flavors of kale and had a go at it—and devoured the chips with glee. To make them, you tear the kale into bite-size pieces, add a bit of oil (far less than you think) and spices and bake in the oven on low temps until they are crispy. The result are fragile, intensely green, and almost translucent chips that have that lovely green flavor with a wonderful texture and gorgeous spices. They look deep fried, but they're coated with just a fraction of the tablespoon or two of oil you've added.

They're the new nibble chez nous. My 3-year-old even loves them, they're her first chips of any kind—these are frangible enough that she can easily eat them without any problems. They're thin and they almost shatter with flavor in your mouth. If I were making them for adults only, I would add some good chili powder to the recipe. Next, I'll try to make chard chips.

Kale Rut (or "things you can make with this week's kale")

• Sautée it. Start with garlic in olive oil. Add washed kale that still has water clinging to it. Cook lightly and salt to taste. Or mix it up with some other ingredients.
• Use as a tart filling. Chop finely, sautée as above, and use in a blind-baked tart shell that you've spread with olive tapenade or pesto...and maybe add a sharp salty cheese like ricotta salata.
• Make ribollita. Cook potatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onions and kale in a stock. Wait a day and stir in chunks of yesterday's dried bread and heat it up again. 
• Make delicious kale chips (recipe follows!) and eat them while catching up on Mad Men episodes before the season premiere.

Crispy Kale Chips

• kale
• olive oil
• spices to taste: smoked paprika, powdered ginger, chili powder (optional)
• sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250 F.
2. Remove the stems and woody ribbing from the tender leaves.
3. Tear the kale into bite-size pieces. Wash and dry.
4. Add 1–2Tbsp olive oil to a large bowl. 
5. Whisk in 1/2 tsp or more of the paprika and ginger. Add a pinch of chili powder (optional).
6. Add the Kale leaves to the oil and toss with your hands, coating each leaf, front and back.
7. Lay the kale out on a parchment paper–covered cookie sheet. 
8. Sprinkle with seas salt.
9. Wash your hands so you don't rub chili powder into your eyes. Just sayin'.
10. Bake in the oven until they are flat and crisp, about 15–20 minutes. (It took about 17 minutes for mine, although the recipe that inspired it online said 33 minutes.)
11. Remove with a spatula and let them cool.
12. Serve them to someone who will try one and say, "Kale chips?!?" as they bite into one. In about 1 minute, they'll come back for 10 more. You could also grate hard cheese, like Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano over them for a cheesy treat.

I stored the leftovers in an airtight container and three days later, the last stragglers are still crisp and delicate—and delicious.

Proof that they're really crisp! They stand up straight in a dish of grains.

Photo of kale in the field (cc) Nick Saltmarsh on Flickr.

Comments

[Cynthia Graber]

You had leftovers? When I made kale chips from a bunch of kale, I ate all of them in one sitting! Love them. I haven't tried spicing them, though; this is a great idea.

[April Paffrath]

I had leftovers because I was saving some for a photo! I needed to be home during the daylight.

[debbie]

Mmm, kale chips. I use that same Dan Barber recipe. These are the best party snack ever, and even my veg-hating toddler has been known to enjoy them.

[Zahavah/Gayle]

Great to have all these kale ideas to keep me company as I'm catching up on my Mad Men episodes. My big hesitation for joining a CSA was the loads of kale I figured I'd get. I haven't got much kale (yet), but I'm sure it'll be coming and I can't wait to try this kale chip recipe.
- Gayle