The recipe was named 2012 Dish of the Year in Bon Appétit magazine. “Life-altering” they said. It’s from a place called Battersby in Brooklyn, which is also on the list of Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants in America. The salad, a variation of one of the hottest food trends of the past year, features the star ingredient of the year. So, I ask you, what’s a self-respecting food blogger to do? I had to bite. I read the recipe, gathered my ingredients and gave it a go… and the results? Interesting.
Battersby Crispy Kale Salad
This salad certainly reminded me of another I had published here not too long ago, with its unusual combination of vegetables, greens and bright lime dressing. From the moment I began to smell the kale leaves crisping in my oven, I had high hopes for this dish. There was a curious array of ingredients: shaved raw beet, carrot, cucumber and radish interplaying with a variety of mixed herbs and leafy greens. All gets tossed with a lime dressing that has the interesting addition of sweet-sour fish sauce. The final topping–those crunchy oven-crisped kale leaves–add a distinct umami quality to this salad. And yet, while we didn’t dislike it, we were left wondering what all the hype was about. Maybe there was a little too much going on. Flavors didn’t really meld for me. Wasn’t feeling the wow factor. But I suggest you try it and decide for yourself.
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. From a large bunch of Tuscan kale (also known as Lacinato), select the smallest leaves and lay them flat on two baking sheets.
Brush each leaf lightly with vegetable oil (I used grapeseed), and then season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the pans in the oven to bake, rotating pans once midway.
When the leaves are done, remove them from the pans and place on a wire rack to cool.
In a heatproof bowl, mix raw or light brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until sugar has dissolved. Let cool.
Whisk in remaining dressing ingredients: freshly squeezed lime juice, fish sauce (available in the Asian aisle of your market), a garlic clove pushed through a press, and 1/2 a chile (jalapeño, thai chile, or serrano) that’s been thinly sliced. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together tender herbs like cilantro, basil, mint and/or parsley.
In order to get really thin slices of veggies, it’s best to use a mandoline, if you have one. I love my Japanese Benriner for this purpose, which is an inexpensive and handy version, but you can also slice thinly with a really sharp knife and a steady hand.
Prep the beet (aren’t these chioggia beets pretty?), carrot, radish and cucumber. Add to the herbs.
Mix in watercress, baby arugula, or pea tendrils, if you can find them. Stem and thinly slice the rest of the kale leaves and add them to the bowl. Toss everything with about half of the dressing.
Plate the salad and top with the crispy kale leaves. Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over all and serve. While I may not repeat this dish in my repertoire, I’ll certainly whip up these yummy kale crisps again–what a wonderfully healthy snack! If you do make this salad, I would love to hear what you think–was it hit or miss for you?
Adapted from Battersby/Bon Appétit
Serves 4 to 6:
Lime Dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoon raw or light brown (packed) sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce (aka nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 hot chile: jalapeño, thai, or serrano
24 small Tuscan kale leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups mixed herbs: cilantro, basil, mint and/or parsley
3 cups vegetables: beet, carrot, radish and cucumber
2 cups greens: watercress, baby arugula or pea tendrils
2 cups stemmed Tuscan kale leaves
This surely is a gorgeous salad, sorry it didn’t quite meet expectations. We are crazy about kale chips in our house, so I would be curious to try a variation of this salad with a few less ingredients.