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A Simple Sweet Potato and Kale Salad Recipe
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If you have been sleeping on kale salad, this is your wake-up call. Not the sad, chewy, vaguely bitter salad you may have endured at a wedding buffet. This is the best kale salad recipe you are going to make all year: caramelized roasted sweet potatoes, toasty California pistachios, briny feta, creamy tahini dressing, and enough lemon zest to take it all to the next level. This is a delicious salad that earns its place on the table any night of the week.
The best part? Because both sweet potatoes and pistachios are always in season in California, you can pull this off in January, July, or any month in between. No waiting for a two-week window. No settling for inferior produce. California grows both crops in abundance, which means you get peak flavor every single time.
California Sweet Potatoes and Pistachios: Why They Belong Together in Your Bowl
Sweet Potatoes from the Central Valley
California’s sweet potato country thrives in the Central Valley, specifically Merced, Fresno, and Stanislaus Counties. Roughly 22,000 acres of California farmland are planted to sweetpotatoes, with about 80% of that acreage concentrated in those three counties. The region’s sandy soil drains well, protects the delicate root during harvest, and helps produce the sweet, dense flesh that makes this crop worth seeking out.
A Word About Sweet Potatoes from California
Sweet potatoes may tantalize your taste buds, but how well do you understand them? There are some myths surrounding this root vegetable. First, it’s essential to note that a sweetpotato is NOT the same as a yam. It also differs from its standard potato counterparts, which are tubers. And get this: the word is actually sweetpotato. According to California Sweetpotatoes, “sweetpotato” is correct because their product is not, in fact, a sweet potato – it’s an entirely different vegetable.
Sweetpotatoes are one of the most labor-intensive crops in California. Much of the sorting, grading, and packaging takes place by hand by farmworkers who treat each root with care to avoid damage.
Pistachios from the San Joaquin Valley
Pistachio trees need hot summers and mild winters, which the San Joaquin Valley delivers reliably. Trees take 15 to 20 years to hit peak production and can remain productive for about 40 years. That kind of long-term farming is not casual. It is a serious commitment to a crop, and it shows in the quality of the nut.
California Pistachios: Small Nut, Big Energy
If you’re snacking on pistachios in the United States, they almost certainly came from California. More than 98% of American pistachios are grown here, and the United States now leads the world in pistachio production. These vibrant green nuts have deep roots in the Golden State, with the first trees planted in the early 1880s.
Pistachios aren’t just tasty. They’re also a plant-based source of complete protein, making them a smart, satisfying snack. Did you know that a 1-ounce serving equals about 49 pistachios, which is more per serving than any other snack nut? It’s true! You know what they say, good things come in small packages, and that is especially true when you’re talking about California pistachios.
Pistachios are machine-harvested between late August and early October. Within 24 hours of harvest, they are mechanically hulled, washed, dried, and sorted. Once packaged, they are available year-round, which is exactly why they are such an amazing pantry staple.
Let’s Talk About the Kale
Not all kale is the same. For this recipe, Tuscan kale (also called lacinato kale, dinosaur kale, or cavolo nero) is the move. Its long, dark, bumpy leaves are more tender than curly kale and hold up well under massage without turning to mush. Pre-cut, bagged kale from the store works fine; just remove any large pieces of stem you come across. If you are starting from whole bunches of kale, pull the leaves off the thick stems before slicing.
The non-negotiable step in any easy kale salad is the massage. Pour the dressing over sliced kale in a large bowl, then use clean hands to work it in. You are squeezing and pressing until the kale reduces in size by about half and shifts from stiff to genuinely tender. This is the only thing that stands between you and a delicious salad versus a tough, leathery plate of greens. Do not skip it.
About This Kale Salad Recipe
This roasted sweet potato and kale salad with tahini dressing is not complicated, but it does have a few steps. The sweet potatoes get a two-stage roast: first covered in a skillet with water to steam them through, then finished cut-side down in butter until browned and crisp at the edges. Those caramelized edges are worth the extra 20 minutes. The pistachios get toasted at 325°F and finished with a hit of flaky finishing salt.
The tahini kale salad dressing comes together in one small bowl: tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, and coarse kosher salt. It is creamy, punchy, and exactly the kind of dressing that makes you want to eat more kale than you planned.
Once the kale is massaged and the dressing is in, pile on the roasted sweet potato in generous, slightly larger-than-bite-sized pieces. Top with the toasted pistachios, lots of lemon zest, crumbled feta, and red pepper flakes. The variety of textures is the whole point: silky sweet potato, crunchy pistachio, tender kale, creamy feta, zippy lemon.
This salad works as a side dish alongside grilled chicken or fish, and it is substantial enough to anchor a meal on its own. Leftover kale, even when dressed, holds up surprisingly well the next day, making it a solid meal prep candidate. The amount of kale (two full bunches) might look huge when raw, but it wilts down significantly during the massage.
More Kale Salad Recipes Worth Making
Once you are in a kale salad state of mind, these are worth bookmarking:
- How to Make a Perfect Kale Salad Every Time from This Mess Is Ours
- A Sensational Kale, Tangerine, and Pistachio Salad here on CA GROWN
- Crazy Delicious Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad from G-Free Foodie
The Only Thing Better Than a Good Kale Salad
It is a good kale salad made with ingredients you can count on. California sweet potatoes and pistachios are always in season, so this easy recipe is available to you 365 days a year. No excuses. No substitutions needed.
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Roasted Potato and Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup raw pistachios
- 1 TBSP flaky finishing salt
- 3 ½ TBSP olive oil, divided
- 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 2 TBSP salted butter
- 2 bunches of Tuscan kale, tough ribs removed
- 3 TBSP Tahini
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced, divided
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 ½ TBSP honey
- 1 ½ tsp coarse kosher salt
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
Toast the pistachios:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (150°C). Arrange the pistachios on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes until they start to smell toasty and have slightly darkened in color.
- Remove from the oven and drizzle on ½ tsp of olive oil along with the flaky finishing salt, toss everything together so the salt begins to stick to the pistachios. Chop roughly, then set aside.
Prepare the roasted sweet potatoes:
- Place a rack in the bottom third of the oven; increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
- Arrange the prepped sweet potatoes on one half of a heavy ovenproof skillet. Pour water in the skillet just to cover the bottom of the skillet. Cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the sweet potatoes are just tender, about 30-35 minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to a cutting board to cool. Slice the partially roasted sweet potatoes in half lengthwise.
- Meanwhile, drain any remaining cooking water that is still in the skillet then return the skillet to the oven, empty, for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the hot skillet from the oven and melt the butter in the skillet. Place the halved sweet potatoes cut side down into the melted butter and roast until the edges are browned and crisp, about 18-25 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the tahini dressing:
- Combine the tahini, 2 TBSP lemon juice, 3 TBSP olive oil, garlic, honey, and salt in a small bowl, whisk to combine. Set aside.
Assemble the kale salad:
- Slice the prepared kale into thin strips and place in a large bowl. Pour the prepared dressing over the kale then with gloved or clean hands, massage the kale until it reduces in size by half and is tender.
- Using a small spoon, scoop a little larger than bite-sized pieces of the caramelized, roasted sweet potato onto the prepared kale.
- Top with the roughly chopped prepared pistachios, zest of 2 lemons, crumbled feta cheese, and red pepper flakes.