Dinosaur Kale with Baby Potatoes

Dinosaur kale, also called Lacinato or black kale, sautéed with garlic and olive oil and serve with poached baby potatoes.

By
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank Shaw
Hank has authored five cookbooks, the latest in 2021. His website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook won Best Food Blog by the James Beard Foundation in 2013.
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Updated February 11, 2022
Hank Shaw
Dinosaur Kale Baby Potatoes
Elise Bauer

Check out these "eggs in a nest" baby potatoes from Hank. Perfect for spring! ~Elise

I made this dish up on a whim. Elise and I were at the market and I saw some pretty Lacinato kale and gorgeous multi-colored baby potatoes. I knew I had to combine them somehow, and I liked the idea of "eggs in a nest," especially around Easter.

Lacinato, also known as cavolo nero or dinosaur kale, is pretty much the darkest green vegetable I know of. It is more tender than regular kale, and its leaves are deeply savoyed—crinkled, like savoy cabbage, which is lacinato kale's cousin. If you can't find lacinato kale, don't use regular kale as a substitute, use chard instead.

I cook the potatoes in stock here, which looks wasteful but it's not: You can reuse the potato-enriched stock in another recipe. It is great as a base for polenta or rice.

Dinosaur Kale with Baby Potatoes

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 4 servings

Try to find the smallest potatoes you can for this recipe. It will still be good with larger potatoes, but you lose the pretty "eggs in a nest" effect.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegan option)

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 pound baby potatoes, various colors

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

  • 1 pound dinosaur kale or Swiss chard, chopped roughly

  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt and black pepper, or to taste

  • Grated zest from one lemon

  • Lemon juice to taste

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes:

    Bring the stock and water to a boil and add the potatoes. Turn the heat down to simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

    Drain (you can reserve the stock and water to cook rice or polenta with later) and coat the potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Salt well and set aside.

  2. Stir-fry kale, add garlic, red pepper flakes:

    Heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the kale and turn to coat with the oil as it wilts.

    Add the garlic and toss to combine, then add the red pepper flakes and some salt and black pepper. Stir-fry this for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pan. Wait 2-4 minutes before uncovering.

  3. To serve, mix the lemon zest with the kale:

    Lay down a "nest" of kale on the plate and arrange the baby potatoes in the center. Squeeze some lemon juice over everything right as you serve.

Links:

Salt-Crusted Baby Potatoes - from 101 Cookbooks

Sauteed Dinosaur Kale with Garlic - from No Recipes

Dinosaur Kale Baby Potatoes
Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
347 Calories
13g Fat
57g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 347
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 4mg 1%
Sodium 292mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 57g 21%
Dietary Fiber 10g 37%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 166mg 828%
Calcium 161mg 12%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 1328mg 28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.