I am TOTALLY obsessed with oven roasted kale. I just can’t get enough of it. Part of the appeal is texture — it’s crispy and dry but at the same time it’s moist and chewy. Part of it is the salt. Part of it is the spicy-goodness. Part of it is the earthy-ness. Oddly (for me), I’m at a loss for words to describe why I love oven roasted kale so much. Can you trust me here — you HAVE to try it!

I prefer to buy loose kale leaves on the stem. I like the medium-sized ones with super curly tight leaves (no flabby kale for me). For this batch, I bought 12 such leaves. Cost less than $1. I have purchased the bagged variety when I needed my kale fix and the grocer was out of loose leaves. You have to REALLY pick over them, pulling out all the tough stems. It will do in a pinch but honestly, you REALLY want the loose leaves in the bulk bin.

Rinse and drain the leaves. The better they are dried — the quicker they cook. Strip the leaves off the thick stem — they should naturally tear at the leaf veins into nice-sized pieces, but if you have rather large sections you should tear them smaller. Throw them on a cookie sheet. It won’t be a single layer but don’t mound them 3″ high either.

Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil all over the leaves. Sprinkle a pinch or two of kosher salt (go easy on the salt!), fresh ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes over the leaves. Throw in the oven and turn the oven to 375F. Check after about 4 or 5 minutes — the leaves should be starting to wilt and turn a bit brown at the edges. There will be ALOT of steam, so stand back when you open the oven   Use tongs or a spatula to flip the leaves over and around and then BACK in the oven with these babies. Continue to check every 3 or 4 minutes, moving them around a bit, until crispy and brown and very little moisture is left. You may want to turn the oven down to 350F partway through if they seem to be browning too fast.

They should look like this when done:

Let them cool slightly — then dig in. I admit, I usually just eat them straight from the cookie sheet!

Leftovers should probably be kept in the fridge. I like to toss them with leftover orzo, rice, or pasta the next day as a salad. Add some vinegar, olive oil, a little shredded cheese, and whatever veggies are lying about. The kale might lose some of its crispness, but none of the flavor!

Variations:

• Use chili-infused olive oil for a little extra zing.
• Use lemon-infused olive oil and skip the black pepper and chili flakes for a kid-friendly version