Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Kale, Garlicky Yogurt, and Puffed Buckwheat
From Vegetarian Salad for Dinner: Inventive Plant-Forward Meals by Jeanne Kelley © Rizzoli, 2023. Photographs copyright © The Ingalls.
Buckwheat groats can be “popped,” transforming them into a crunchy and nutritious addition to salads. This recipe has a few convenient do-aheads, making it great for weeknight menu planning. Russian kale is excellent for grilling, as the leaves are flat and the edges don’t curl from the grill to the fire, but as it’s less common, any kale will do—just take extra care to avoid charcoal edges.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “These Hearty Salads Are the Perfect One-Dish Dinner.”
How to Make It
1
Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until almost tender when pierced with a thin, sharp knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool completely.
2
Set a large bowl next to the stove. Heat a heavy large skillet over high heat. Pour about 2 tbsp. of the groats into the skillet and stir continuously until they puff or pop, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately transfer the puffed groats to the bowl. Repeat the process two more times until all the groats are puffed. (The sweet potatoes and buckwheat can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate the sweet potatoes; cover and seal the buckwheat in an airtight container and store at room temperature.)
3
Heat a grill to medium. Working in batches, arrange the kale leaves in a single layer on the grill and cook until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn the kale and cook until the leaves are tender and very lightly charred at the edges, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. (Some of the leaves may not need turning, depending on the heat of the grill.) Transfer the kale to a large platter. Maintain the grill temperature.
4
Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Brush the sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the sweet potatoes until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.
5
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
6
Arrange the kale and the sweet potatoes on a platter or serving plates and top with a generous drizzling of garlicky yogurt. Sprinkle with the puffed buckwheat and Aleppo pepper and serve.
Ingredients
2 lbs dark-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 4 thin)
salt
6 tbsp roasted buckwheat groats (kasha)
2 lbs kale, preferably Russian kale (about 2 bunches)
extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
½ cup yogurt
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
Aleppo pepper
Directions
1
Cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until almost tender when pierced with a thin, sharp knife, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool completely.
2
Set a large bowl next to the stove. Heat a heavy large skillet over high heat. Pour about 2 tbsp. of the groats into the skillet and stir continuously until they puff or pop, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately transfer the puffed groats to the bowl. Repeat the process two more times until all the groats are puffed. (The sweet potatoes and buckwheat can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate the sweet potatoes; cover and seal the buckwheat in an airtight container and store at room temperature.)
3
Heat a grill to medium. Working in batches, arrange the kale leaves in a single layer on the grill and cook until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn the kale and cook until the leaves are tender and very lightly charred at the edges, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer. (Some of the leaves may not need turning, depending on the heat of the grill.) Transfer the kale to a large platter. Maintain the grill temperature.
4
Using a sharp knife, cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise into quarters. Brush the sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the sweet potatoes until browned on all sides, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.
5
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.
6
Arrange the kale and the sweet potatoes on a platter or serving plates and top with a generous drizzling of garlicky yogurt. Sprinkle with the puffed buckwheat and Aleppo pepper and serve.
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