A Lemon Garlic Kale Salad Now Is One of My Favorites
Back in May, my oldest daughter Nell came home from college with her boyfriend Emir. We wanted to make them something special for dinner and the kids said they wanted to help by making this kale salad with lemon and garlic dressing they found in the New York Times.
Rack of Lamb
We knew from Nell, Emir loves lamb. So we picked up a couple of racks of lamb ribs consisting of eight ribs each for a total of 16. When cut between the ribs, these tender “lollipops” are incredible when grilled to medium rare.
The rack we purchased from Costco was already “frenched” or exposed. This means the meat was cut off from the bone end of the rib chop. It is not necessary to do this, but it does make for an extravagant presentation.
Other Ingredients
Almonds – The original recipe calls for sliced almonds but we didn’t have any so we substitute whole almonds, put them into a zip lock bag and broke them up into pieces with a rolling pin. Sliced almonds are readily available in most supermarkets.
Kale – This is a kale salad so how do you substitute it. You don’t but I think this salad could easily be called Spinach Salad with Lemon Garlic Dressing.
Lemon Juice – Don’t use bottled lemon juice for this recipe. You won’t be happy.
Kale Salad with Garlic and Lemon Juice Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups almonds chopped or sliced
- ⅓ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, 2 - 4 lemons
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 4 cloves garlic crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole
- 12 ounces kale washed and dried, thick stems removed (weight after trimming)
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Prep the ingredients by chopping or slicing the almonds, juicing the lemons, removing the kale stems and grating the Parmesan.
- In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the almond pieces until lightly browned and fragrant.
- Combine the lemon juice with some salt and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously to create an emulsion.
- Add the garlic and let sit while prepping the kale.
- You want to cut the kale into thin ribbons similar to what you do with cabbage when making Cole slaw. One suggestion is to stack the leaves, roll them up like a big cigar and cut into ¼ inch ribbons.
Put the Salad Together
- In a large serving bowl, add the chopped kale, top with chopped almonds and Parmesan cheese.
- Add half of the dressing to the salad and toss well. You never want to overdress a salad with salad dressing. It's always easier to add more dressing if needed than trying to remove it.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
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