Garlic-Roasted Kale

My favorite method of cooking vegetables lately is roasting-it's incredible that such a simple preparation can yield such deeply flavorful results. I vaguely recalled seeing a roasted kale recipe in Cooking Light a while ago, so when I got another bunch of kale in my CSA box this week, I looked up the recipe and thought I'd try it out. Roasted garlic is always a pleasing flavor and great complement to kale and the contrast between the crispy ends and tender centers of the leaves is a real treat. The kale I got was quite mature, so I cut out the stems entirely, but if you have young kale, chop the stems into small pieces and roast along with the leaves. To remove the stems to from mature kale leaves, fold the leaves in half and slice away the thick stems and then cut the leaves into 2- to 3-inch pieces for roasting.

Garlic-Roasted Kale
adapted from Cooking Light

3  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
1/2  teaspoon  kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2  pounds kale, stems removed and chopped
2  teaspoons sherry or balsamic vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Arrange oven racks in center and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°. Place 2 large jelly-roll pans in oven for 5 minutes.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. Divide kale mixture evenly between hot pans, spreading with a silicone spatula to separate leaves. Bake at 425° for 7 minutes. Stir kale, and rotate pans. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until edges of leaves are crisp and kale is tender.

 3. Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar or lemon juice; toss to combine. Serve immediately.