This is a recipe from my cookbook, One Pot One Portion, which is available globally and is packed with single-serve recipes perfect for cooking for one.

I was a kale denier for many years as I often find it tough, fibrous and bland. This still can be the case it it’s not prepared properly, but here the kale is roasted, which softens its fibrous nature and crisps its frilly edges and, when coated in this creamy garlic dressing, actually transforms it into a lovely salad. Roasted sweet potato in a salad adds bulk and substance but also a lovely softness, though you could definitely replace this with squash or white potato, if you prefer.

If you like this recipe you might also like my Pulled Chicken Salad, Peanut Noodle Salad, Peach and Burrata Orzo Salad, Crispy Potato Caesar Salad or my Prawn & Mango Noodle Salad.

About this dish‍

Over the last 10 years kale has really had a glow up, going from a vegetable often forgotten in everyday kitchens, to the leaf of choice, a green vegetable with health properties that will change your life! I’m not convinced. And for me, even if this leaf were to change my life, I’m still not going to eat it unless it tastes GREAT. This recipe has everything and more. We’ve seen lots of chopped kale salads and this isn’t too different, though I’d say it’s more satiating than something like a broccoli kale salad. We’ve got small chunks of sweet potato mixed with crispy kale, gently flaked salmon and a creamy garlic and lemon dressing.

Kale can be tough and fibrous but there are a couple of ways to combat this. Firstly you can massage the kale for a few minutes which softens those fibres and breaks them down. Secondly, you can roast the kale to make it crispy giving you a crunch kale salad as a result. This recipe does a bit of both, as I suggest massaging the kale when you add it to the tray before roasting.

Kale and sweet potato work really well together as the slight bitterness of the leaf and the sweetness of the potato balance the flavour profile. Then we have the creamy lemon garlic salad dressing. This is made from creamy greek yoghurt and mayonnaise (I find dressings made purely with mayo to be a bit too much for me), lemon juice, raw garlic and then two classic salad dressing ingredients; honey and mustard. The result has the sweet and hot balance of a honey mustard dressing, then the creamy yoghurt and mayo balanced with the lemon gives the perfect level of acidity.

Salmon and kale also work really well together. The salad is fresh and light while still being satiating and satisfying.

‍Why you want to make this recipe‍

30 minute meal

This recipe only takes about 30 minutes, and there’s minimal prep. Most of the work gets done for you in the oven.

Well-balanced

This dish has a good amount of protein as well as carbs, fats and some green goodness for good measure.

One Pot Recipe

As with all of my recipes, this only needs one pot or one pan so there are minimal dishes, which makes every meal time easier and more enjoyable.

Single-Serve

Again, as always, this recipe is for a single-serve omelette quesadilla so you can make this just for yourself! Though it would be very easy to scale up to serve multiple people if needed

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Ingredients and Tools‍

Salmon

• You could use a lightly smoked salmon fillet (if you like smoked salmon salad recipes then you’ll love this) but I prefer to go for unsmoked salmon just as I prefer the flavour.
• I also try and buy wild salmon where possible. It has a higher price point but is also much more sustainable and the colour is completely gorgeous.

Kale

• As a said, kale can be tough so give it a little massage when you add it to the tray. The oven will do the rest of the work as it crisps up in the oven.

Oven-proof dish

• Any oven proof dish will work for the recipe, whether that’s a traybake tin, a cast-iron skillet or a sheet pan.‍

How and why I developed this recipe‍

When I was developing this recipe my main concerns were well-balanced flavours and textures and I think the final dish has exactly that. Sweetness from the potato mixed with slightly bitter kale, a rich and creamy dressing that packs a punch thanks to the garlic and mustard and finally, gentle flakes of just cooked salmon. ‍

Detailed step by step instructions

Place the sweet potato pieces on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing in your serving bowl (you want to use quite a large bowl). Add the yoghurt, mayonnaise, honey and mustard to the bowl, along with the lemon juice and garlic. Mix everything together until well combined.

Once the potato has had 20 minutes, take it out and add the kale and the salmon to the tray. Drizzle both with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Use your hands or tongs to toss the kale, squeezing it to soften it slightly as you do. Place back in the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes.

Once everything is cooked, add the sweet potato and kale to the bowl of dressing. Add the avocado and toss everything together until coated in the dressing. Remove the skin and flake the salmon over the top of the salad in small pieces before serving.

Variations, substitutions or modifications ‍

You could swap salmon for cooked chicken thigh or breast, and could swap sweet potato for white potato.

Gluten-Free: rhis recipe is also ready gluten-free and pescatarian.

Vegetarian: instead of salmon you could add cannellini beans or chickpeas/garbanzo beans.

Vegan: you could use dairy-free yoghurt and mayonnaise the keep this vegan.‍

FAQs

‍How do you make kale soft?

• Kale can be tough and fibrous but there are a couple of ways to combat this. Firstly you can massage the kale for a few minutes which softens those fibres and breaks them down. Secondly, you can roast the kale to make it crispy giving you a crunch kale salad as a result.

What does kale taste like?

• Kale is a great leaf that has more texture than something like spinach. It has a slight pepperiness to it, similar to rocket/arugula, but is also slightly bitter. Here it works well balanced with the sweetness of the potato and the creamy lemon garlic dressing.

Can I make a double portion?

• You can easily double up this single-serve recipe just by doubling the ingredients and using a slightly bigger sheet pan/baking dish!

If you like this recipe you might also like my Pulled Chicken Salad, Peanut Noodle Salad, Peach and Burrata Orzo Salad, Crispy Potato Caesar Salad or my Prawn & Mango Noodle Salad.

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