Friend of Julie: Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 3 large handfuls lacinato kale, torn into shreds
• 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preparing to Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. Combine the salt, smoked paprika, and garlic in a small bowl.
4. Wash the kale. 
5. Rinse the kale leaves, then put them in a salad spinner and spin until the green becomes a blur. Round and round, spinning and spinning — let the kale dry.
6. After removing kale from spinner, dry it even more with paper towels. Those leaves should be bone dry.

Oiling the Kale

1. Put the kale leaves in a large bowl.
2. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
3. Massage the oil into the leaves. You might need more. You might have larger hands than I do. Use your judgment.

Bake the Chips

1. Arrange the kale chips onto the sheet try and slide it into the oven. 
2. Bake until the leaves are crisp to the touch but still a dark green. When they turn brown, they turn bitter.
3. Check at the 12-minute mark, to be sure.
4. Remove them from the oven. 
5. Sprinkle with the garlic smoked paprika salt.
6. Let them cool a bit. 
7. Eat.

Play with the spices to your liking. I like to add a bit of lemon juice to the oil.

Recipe submitted by Doryne Pederzani-Dinneen