Now that my recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts has been so well received, I don't want to withhold my next experiment from you: Kale chips!

In health circles in the USA, everyone is raving about kale. I have to confess: I didn't even know what it was at first! Mainly because we Swiss (at least I don't think so) don't have such a tradition with it. In my home town of Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia, there are traditional kale meals in winter. I've never heard of it here.

Apart from that: here in Switzerland, the vegetable is called kale. After all the hype from my American blogger colleagues, I sowed kale in our garden. And lo and behold, it grows really well!

In the USA, it is also eaten as a salad. The secret to preparing it: firstly, you remove the thick stalks in the middle by pinching a stalk between your thumb and forefinger and then giving it a good tug. This strips the leaves from the stalk. Very simple. Secondly, mix the salad with the dressing by hand and knead or massage the salad vigorously for a few minutes. This makes the leaves finer and finer and you can also eat the kale as a salad (otherwise I think the leaves would be too hard).

But here is the potato chips recipe, a great alternative to all the unhealthy snacks or as an alternative side dish to meat or fish.

The recipe: Kale chips

Ingredients

approx. 1 bunch of stalked kale (enough for one tray)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper

Preparation

1. wash the plucked kale leaves (should be about the size of potato chips) well and dry very well (using a salad spinner and kitchen paper if necessary).

2. mix well with the oil so that all the leaves are really wetted (preferably by hand). Be careful not to use too much oil.

3. Sprinkle over the spices and mix well again.

4. Spread the leaves on a baking tray lined with baking paper. The leaves should all be next to each other and not on top of each other.

5. Place in an oven preheated to 150 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. Please note! This may vary depending on the oven. Mine bakes very evenly, if yours doesn't, take the tray out of the oven after about 10 minutes and turn it once so that the heat is distributed differently. You may also want to take it out of the oven earlier. The leaves should be green-brown and crispy, but not burnt!

Have you ever made vegetable potato chips before? If so, which vegetables did you use? Apart from kale, I've tried carrots, but they didn't turn out crispy. Maybe you had more success? Looking forward to your comment!