Baked Kale Chips
So, I’ve been hearing this crazy rumor going around about kale chips. To hear some people tell it, you can toss kale with a little olive oil, bake it for a few minutes, and the result is something very similar in taste and texture to a… get this… potato chip. The whole thing sounds a little too good to be true, but… what if it is true?
All of a sudden I began having visions of sitting on the couch watching Lord of the Rings on TBS for the 90th time on a Sunday afternoon, munching on these healthy, yet delicious snacks to my heart’s content. Now, I have no idea what Lord of the Rings has to do with all this, except that it always happens to be on during the weekends when I’m at my lazy potato-chip-eating peak . And it’s, you know, magical. Like these kale chips.
It turns out that all those crazies are right. Kale chips are magically delicious! I’m not prepared to tell you that they taste like potato chips, but they definitely have the right texture and saltiness. They’re also strangely addictive. They’re crumbly and light and crisp and a beautiful color green. I’m pretty certain that they wouldn’t have the dipping ability of a potato chip, but once you’ve had one of these, you won’t really want to dip it in anything anyway. I just sprinkled mine with a little salt before baking them, but I’d imagine that a whole range of spices and/or herbs would work- one of those infinitely adaptable recipes. I can see myself making these all the time with different seasonings, and even different greens. I’d love to try it with rainbow swiss chard, too.
A few tips: Tear up the kale in smaller pieces. The chips get a little crumbly, so being able to eat them in one or two bits is ideal. It also helps each chip get nice and crisp. Also, keep a very close eye on these bad boys while they’re in the over. They go from perfectly crisp to burned pretty quickly.
Baked Kale Chips
1 bunch of kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one or two sheet pans by placing a sheet of parchment down on them. How many you need will depend on how much kale you have. For my bunch, I needed two.
Using scissors (or a knife if you find it easier), remove the stalk from the center of each leaf. Clean kale well and then let dry. If you’d like, tear into smaller pieces. In a large bowl, drizzle kale with olive oil and toss gently until all the leaves are coated.
Spread out kale on baking sheets. Don’t crowd them too much. Sprinkle with salt to taste, but keep in mind that the kale itself is a bit salty, so use a little less salt than you think you should. Bake them in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until they are nice and crisp.
Enjoy these as soon as possible after making them. They get significantly less exciting after sitting around for a few hours. Only a handful of ours lasted past the first hour.