Demonstrated by River Cottage Chef, Andy Tyrell, using an ESSE CAT Gas Cooking Range
Kale crisps have become a rather fashionable snack in the past few years, and that’s hardly surprising, given how easy they are to make and how delicious they are to eat.
Making your own is a good way to use an excess of kale in the garden, even slightly-past-their-best leaves. They make a great nibble to go with drinks, or you can use them as you would crispy seaweed in salads, or sprinkled on soups.
Ingredients
- Few handfuls of kale, thickest, woddy stems removed
- 2-3 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to ESSE dial guide top end of MODERATE/180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Wash the kale and dry well: it will crisp up better if it is very dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces and place on a baking tray (or two if you’re making a lot – you don’t want to crowd the trays). Trickle over the oil and massage it thoroughly into every nook and cranny of the leaves. Don’t salt them yet – they roast better just with the oil. Spread the leaves out on the trays in an even, single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then take the tray from the oven and give the leaves a good stir. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5–10 minutes. The leaves should be crisp but don’t let them get too dark or they will be bitter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.
