Kale Chips

Kale has been a new discovery for me.  I never used to like it, but then I'd never really given it a chance.  It's like the Green Eggs and Ham story.  I would not eat it with a fox or in a box or with a mouse or in a house.  I would not eat it anywhere.  And then I tried it.

A few weeks ago a group of friends and I started up a girls craft night that we hold every two weeks at one of our homes.  We all get to leave our kids at home and bring over whatever crafty thing we're working on.  We sit and chat and enjoy everyone's company and talk about the fun crafts that are happening or the crappy things that are going on at work or the awesome things our kids are doing.  It's so much fun.

Last week we went to the home of our dining hall manager's wife.  Her husband is an amazing chef and he offered to make a little snack for our group.  He made a fruit, cheese and cracker platter, but it was simply elegant.  The fruit was sliced into perfect little 1/8" slices arranged about a wooden board.  There were three different kinds of cheeses, none of which you could find in a regular grocery store.  Small cups were placed around the serving board and were full of dried fruits spilling gracefully out over the edges.  The crackers were definitely not made by Nabisco.

The most surprising thing for me was the kale chips.  What???  Kale chips?  I had to ask which of the crackers was the one with the kale.  None of them.  It was the bowl of perfectly crisped, lightly salted bits of kale sitting in a bowl to the side.  They were positively addicting.  I couldn't stop eating them.  I thought about them for days afterward.  I asked for the recipe and will share it with you now because you have got to try this.  If you don't try another recipe from this blog, you must try this one.

These things are like potato chips.  You know, you just can't stop at one chip?  I ate the entire cookie-sheet-pan full of kale by myself.  It was so good that I felt guilty after doing so.  But then I reminded myself that this was kale that I just devoured.  And then I didn't feel so bad.  But, I didn't share them.  I am a bad person.  Be naughty with me.  Make these.  Eat the whole bowl all by yourself.  You will thank me.

Kale Chips

1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried

2 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the kale and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Toss with olive oil and salt.  Lay on a baking sheet  and bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes. Serve as finger food.