Crispy Kale on Thanksgiving

Well, I finally made kale chips. I had a bunch of Tuscan kale that was starting to look forlorn, and I figured it was use it or lose it. I tried making the chips once before, but they steamed versus crisped in the oven (or stuck to the tinfoil I lined the baking sheet with). This time, I followed the method recommended by none other than Dan Barber (as published in Bon Appétit). I did decide to jazz it up by using a combination of wasabi and sesame oil instead of olive oil and a sprinkle of soy instead of salt. This time, I lined the pans with parchment and the smaller leaves came out perfect. The larger ones started to burn a bit, and the stems never cooked through, making eating the final product difficult (unless you like chewing and chewing and chewing with green bits of the leaves stuck to your face). The taste of crisped kale was oddly addicting at first, but then, after a few leaves, kind of sickening -- even after I sprinkled a bit of sugar on the crisps to counteract some of the bitterness. In fact, my family nibbled on a few leaves (more as a dare than anything, I think), but we ended up tossing most of the crisps. What a waste of kale. In the future, I think I will reserve kale for soup, and leave the chips to the potatoes!