I’ve previously mentioned how much I enjoy BuzzFeed’s food articles. One of my favorite’s is their “Here’s What You Should Eat for Dinner Tonight.” Some of the stuff they post are too foodie for my tastes (aka I’m not skilled enough to pull them off) and oftentimes require crazy and bizarre ingredients. But sometimes I run across a recipe that I have both the skills and ingredients to prepare and it’s always DELICIOUS.
This BuzzFeed Recipe is one of those times. My picture really doesn’t do it justice, so I’m including theirs as well. BuzzFeed makes this dish look much more appetizing. It must be those professional photographers or something.
BuzzFeed’s Picture:
My Picture: (Whomp Whomp Whaaaaa)
Anyways, on to the good stuff:
2 medium sweet potatoes
6 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch kale
1 large apple
salt and pepper
Spicy Ketchup
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. ground chipotle pepper
First, get your potatoes cooking in a 400 degree oven. Pierce each potato a few times with a fork or knife before sticking them in the oven to allow some steam to escape. Then stick those puppies in the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes.
While that is occurring, go do your laundry or vacuum or something productive (Ha! I mean watch Netflix) until you’re about 20 minutes out from the potatoes being done. Then rinse, dry, and chop your kale leaves (toss out those gross stems). Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and cook the bacon for 5-10 minutes, or until nice and crispy.
The trick is to cook the kale in a bunch of bacon grease. This idea kind of made me woozy, so I poured out about half of my grease before adding the kale. But do whatever your little heart desires. Once the bacon is cooked add in the chopped kale and cook for about 5 minutes until it begins to shrink. Next, chop the apple and add it in with the kale. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the apple and the kale are both super soft.
While this is happening, mix up your spicy ketchup. Combine the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, and ground spices in a small bowl.
Hopefully the kale and potatoes will be done around the same time. Split the potatoes down the middle and divide the kale mixture among them, topping them off with the spicy ketchup. I actually spread my ketchup on the potatoes before adding the kale mixture, but that’s just my preference.
These. Were. Amazing. I’m not overexaggerating (even though that’s my favorite thing to do).
You need to make these ASAP! You won’t be disappointed.
Nichelle Ley, Chef J.D. 