1862. ONE-PAN BRAISED KALE with BACON and NEW POTATOES

makes four servings


2 bunches black or green kale (to end up with about 6 cups of cooked and chopped kale)
16 small new potatoes, or 4 medium regular firm boiling potatoes
3 garlic cloves, peeled
225 grams / 8 oz piece of bacon, cut into cubes
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
black pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Wash the kale, and rip off the leaves. If you have very long leaves you may want to cut them in half or thirds so they fit in the pot. Put the kale in the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes. Drain, and refresh under cold running water. Take bunches of the cooked kale and squeeze out as much water out of them as you can. Chop up finely.

In the meantime, scrub the new potatoes and cut them into half. If you’re using regular potatoes, peel and cut into chunks.

Put the bacon cubes in a large frying pan, and fry them over medium heat until they are crispy-brown on the outside. Take the bacon out, wipe out most of the bacon fat with a paper towel if there’s a lot there, and add the garlic and potatoes. Saute for 5-6 minutes over high heat, until the potatoes are lightly browned. Add 2 cups of water to the pan, and put a lid on. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the chopped kale, and stir and season with salt, pepper and soy sauce. Add the cranberries, and put the lid back on. Let it cook over medium-low heat for another 10 minutes. The garlic cloves should be soft enough to just mash up at this point; do so and stir it into the kale.

Serve hot or cold.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Makiko Itoh, Just Bento