WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS We love the earthy vegetal flavor of raw kale, but its chewy texture can be a little tough to take. Many recipes call for tossing it with dressing and letting it marinate in the fridge overnight to tenderize. But this method didn’t deliver the tender leaves we were after. Luckily, we found another technique that worked better: massage. Squeezing and massaging the kale leaves broke down their cell walls in much the same way that heat would, darkening the leaves and turning them silky. Roasted sweet potatoes, shredded radicchio, crunchy pecans, a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and a sweet pomegranate vinaigrette turned our salad into a meal with a medley of flavors and textures. Pomegranate molasses can be found in the international aisle of large supermarkets; if you can’t find it, substitute 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of mild molasses, and 1 teaspoon of honey. We prefer to use Lacinato kale in this recipe, but curly-leaf kale can be substituted; if using curly-leaf kale, increase the massaging time to 5 minutes. Do not use baby kale.

Serves 4

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 12 ounces Lacinato kale, stemmed and sliced crosswise into ½-inch-wide strips
• ½ head radicchio (5 ounces), cored and sliced thin
• ½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

• FOR VINAIGRETTE:
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay potatoes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until bottom edges are browned on both sides, 25 to 30 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through roasting time. Transfer potatoes to a plate and let cool for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, vigorously squeeze and massage kale with your clean hands until leaves are uniformly darkened and slightly wilted, about 1 minute.
4. For the vinaigrette, whisk water, pomegranate molasses, shallot, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in oil.
5. Add roasted potatoes, kale, and radicchio to the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.
6. Sprinkle with pecans and shaved Parmesan to taste.
7. Serve.