Kale sautéed with red onion, sage and oregano, golden chestnuts and sweet potato mashed with olive oil.
This sautéed kale with chestnuts is served over steaming orange mash : dark green leaves that retain a little crunch, tender chestnuts and a touch of paprika. It’s a plant-based fall dish, served over mashed sweet potato. For one serving, allow about 20 minutes of cooking time, a little longer if you need to peel fresh chestnuts : much like these meals ready in 20 minutes or less.
What Is Kale with Chestnuts ?
It’s a sauté of kale, red onion and dried herbs, with chestnuts that are boiled and then briefly sautéed, all served over mashed sweet potato. Kale is a cabbage with firm leaves that do not form a tight head, unlike Chinese cabbage, which is more tender and has a higher water content.
The kale retains some bite, the chestnuts become tender and the mash brings everything together, without cream or butter. Pumpkin can replace the sweet potato for a lighter mash.
Where Does This Dish Come From ?
This dish draws on seasonal cooking, when kale and fresh chestnuts arrive at the markets together in the fall. It relies on short cooking times : a saucepan for the chestnuts and sweet potato, a frying pan for the rest.
The chestnuts’ starchy sweetness pairs well with the kale’s green flavor, and the sage echoes their woodsy notes. The sweet potato, simply mashed with olive oil, adds a soft, smooth texture.
The Main Ingredients
You’ll need 100 g of kale, with the thick stems removed, and 10 chestnuts. Fresh chestnuts should be firm, with no holes or mold. The chestnuts sold for cooking are edible sweet chestnuts, not to be confused with toxic horse chestnuts ; plain cooked chestnuts, jarred or vacuum-packed, save time.
A red onion forms the aromatic base. The seasoning is just 0.5 teaspoon of paprika, milder than chili powder, and 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and sage. For sautéing, use avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil ; chili flakes are optional.
The mash calls for 175 g of sweet potato, or the same amount of pumpkin, with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Cooking and Serving Tips
Peel the chestnuts raw : cut off the tip, slit the shell toward the base and remove the thin inner skin as well, so they hold their shape during cooking. You can also cook them first and peel them while still warm, though they may crumble a little. Cook the chestnuts and sweet potato chunks together for about 17 minutes in plenty of water ; pumpkin should be cooked separately, for just under a quarter of an hour.
Toward the end of cooking, sauté the onion in a little oil, briefly stir in the herbs and paprika, then add the halved chestnuts once the onion begins to brown. The kale goes in last : as with sautéed bok choy, a few minutes are enough, and it can stay slightly crunchy. Mash the sweet potato with the olive oil and salt, serve the sautéed mixture on top right away, and refrigerate leftovers for 2 to 3 days, keeping the mash and sautéed mixture separate.
Ingredients
- 100 g kale
- 10 chestnuts
- 1 red onion
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika ground
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon sage dried
- oil avocado, mild olive or high-oleic sunflower oil, for cooking
- 175 g sweet potato
- 175 g pumpkin instead of sweet potato, for a lower-carb version
- a drizzle olive oil extra virgin
- a pinch Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
Optional
- 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes not low in histamine!
Instructions
- Peel the chestnuts. We’ll cook them without their shells so they hold their shape well. When you peel raw chestnuts, the shells are a little harder than when you cook them in their shells first. But the chestnuts themselves are also a little firmer, so the thin skins come off a little more easily and the chestnuts stay whole. Cut off the tip and slit the shell downward with a knife.10 chestnuts
- You can also cook them first and peel them afterward. In that case, I usually use a separate saucepan. Peel them once they have cooled a little but are still warm. The chestnuts may crumble a little as you peel them, though.
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into pieces. Cook the chestnuts and sweet potatoes together in plenty of water for 17 minutes (it doesn’t have to be exact, just a little over a quarter of an hour). Then drain. Using pumpkin? It needs a slightly shorter cooking time, a little under a quarter of an hour. It’s best to cook it separately.175 g sweet potato, 175 g pumpkin
- Toward the end of the cooking time for the sweet potatoes and chestnuts, chop the onion and sauté it in a little mild olive oil. Add the herbs and spices and sauté briefly.1 red onion, oil, 0.5 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon sage, 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes
- Once the chestnuts are cooked, cut them in half. When the onion starts to brown a little, add the halved chestnuts. Sauté everything briefly.
- Finally, add the kale and sauté. Just a few minutes is enough. It can stay slightly crisp.100 g kale
- Mash the sweet potatoes. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. Serve with the kale and chestnuts on top.a drizzle olive oil, a pinch Celtic sea salt
