By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- 4(104)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This is a great salad to make with leftover roasted sweet potatoes but you can also roast them just to make the salad. The trick to succeeding with crispy kale is to make sure it is completely dry before you put it in the oven. If you are using bunched kale I recommend that you stem and wash it, spin it twice in a salad spinner, then set the leaves in single layers on a few layers of paper towels and roll them up. You can then refrigerate for up to a day or two. Once the salad is assembled, the portion of kale that you toss with the sweet potatoes will soften, and the kale that surrounds the sweet potatoes will remain crispy.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4 as a main dish
- 2large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1generous bunch curly kale (about 1 pound), stemmed, leaves washed and dried thoroughly (see above)
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- ¼cup broken pecans, lightly toasted
- 1small garlic clove, pureed
- 2ounces Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled
- 1teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ½cup buttermilk
- 1tablespoon sherry vinegar
- Freshly ground pepper
For the Dressing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
264 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 561 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To roast the sweet potatoes, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Rinse the sweet potatoes and pierce in several places with the tip of a paring knife. Line a sheet pan with foil and place the sweet potatoes on the foil. Bake 40 to minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. They are done when they are soft and beginning to ooze. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Step
2
Meanwhile make the dressing (or you can make it a day ahead). In a mini-processor or in a mortar and pestle blend together the garlic, cheese, thyme, buttermilk, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For best results, leave it to sit for at least an hour.
Step
3
To make the crispy kale, heat the oven to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Make sure that your kale leaves are dry and tear them into medium-size pieces and toss with the olive oil. Gently knead the leaves between your thumbs and fingers to make sure they are coated with oil. Place in an even layer on the baking sheets. Do this in batches if necessary. Place in the oven and roast for 16 to 22 minutes, until the leaves are crisp but not browned. If some of the leaves crisp before others, remove them to a bowl or sheet pan and return the remaining kale to the oven. Watch closely as once the kale browns it will taste bitter. Season to taste with kosher salt or fine sea salt. Allow to cool.
Step
4
Peel the sweet potatoes, quarter lengthwise and slice. Place in a salad bowl and add the pecans and half the crispy kale.
Step
5
Line the edge of a platter with the remaining crispy kale. Toss the sweet potato mixture with the dressing, place in the middle of the platter and serve at once.
Tip
- Advance preparation: The crispy kale will remain crisp for a day at room temperature. Sweet potatoes can be baked and refrigerated for up to four days. The salad should be served right away once assembled.
Ratings
4
out of 5
104
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Cooking Notes
Karen
I doubled the recipe and made this for a potluck. Everyone raved over it! I used white yams instead of the ones with orange flesh. It would be helpful if the recipe recommended sweet potato weight, since they come in a variety of sizes.
Christa
As David Tanis says regarding the current craze for kale chips, "Do enlighten me." :-) That being said, however, I do love kale and sweet potatoes, not to mention Roquefort cheese, as well as Martha Rose Shulman's recipes in general, so I thought I'd give this a try. I would have used lacinato kale if I had had any on hand, so I used arugula instead. Overcooked my sweet potatoes, however, which regrettably made them mushy. A good dressing and combination of flavors, however.
Valerie
Really good recipe. I doubled the amount of Roquefort. I harvested kale from my garden, and it was delicious.
ABB
Great salad. Easy to make all the parts. I used an immersion blender for the dressing. I prefer with massaged kale rather than the kale chips also.
Julia
We ate this warm on a cold winter's night. It was quite good, but we were left hungry. I think a fried egg on top would have rounded it out nicely. Maybe even some oven-crisped chickpeas, too.
Barbara
Loved this! Went for massaged kale rather than roasting it. Subbed out the pecans for pistachios, and yogurt for buttermilk. Still delicious and hearty!
liz wansbrough
Excellent light vegetarian supper ! Thank you
Karen
I doubled the recipe and made this for a potluck. Everyone raved over it! I used white yams instead of the ones with orange flesh. It would be helpful if the recipe recommended sweet potato weight, since they come in a variety of sizes.
Laurie
Cooked them for about twice as long, helped the crispiness thing somewhat.
Christa
As David Tanis says regarding the current craze for kale chips, "Do enlighten me." :-) That being said, however, I do love kale and sweet potatoes, not to mention Roquefort cheese, as well as Martha Rose Shulman's recipes in general, so I thought I'd give this a try. I would have used lacinato kale if I had had any on hand, so I used arugula instead. Overcooked my sweet potatoes, however, which regrettably made them mushy. A good dressing and combination of flavors, however.
Clare
The salad was good, but the effort of cooking both potatoes and roasting the kale was not quite worth the payoff.
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