Recipes · Main dishes
German Braised Kale with Smoked Pork Loin and Potatoes
AI-written · not yet kitchen-tested
Blanching the kale briefly makes it milder and easier to braise. Salt it only at the end, because the smoked pork is already salty. The oats thicken the juices without flour but keep swelling, so use a little less rather than more.
This recipe was written with AI assistance and has not yet been kitchen-tested. Check quantities and times as you cook, and follow safe core temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and eggs.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) curly kale fresh; about 21 oz (600 g) once the thick stems are removed
- 600 g (1.3 lb) smoked cured pork loin Kassler, in one piece
- 2 onions finely diced
- 2 tbsp lard
- 400 ml (1 3/4 cup) water
- 2 bay leaves
- 30 g (1.1 oz) quick-cooking oats finely rolled
- 1 tsp mustard medium-hot
- 1 pinch sugar
- salt and pepper to taste, salt only at the end
- 800 g (1.8 lb) waxy potatoes peeled, large ones halved
- 1 tsp salt for the cooking water
Method
- Strip the kale leaves from the thick stems and wash them thoroughly in a large bowl of water until no grit is left at the bottom. Blanch in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes, drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, squeeze out well and chop coarsely.
- Melt the lard in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onions for 4 minutes until translucent, then add the smoked pork and brown it all over for 3 minutes.
- Add the kale, water, bay leaves and a little pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and braise over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the kale starts to stick to the bottom, add a splash of water.
- About 30 minutes before the end of the braising time, put the potatoes on in salted water and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until a fork slides in without resistance. Drain and keep them warm, covered.
- After 60 minutes, take out the smoked pork, put it on a board and cover it with foil; it should have reached at least 160 °F (70 °C) inside. Stir the oats, mustard and pinch of sugar into the kale and simmer without a lid over low heat for 15 minutes, until the kale is tender and the oats have thickened the juices.
- Season the kale with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaves. Cut the smoked pork into thick slices and serve with the kale and potatoes.
Tip: After the first frost kale tastes milder, because the plant turns starch into sugar. Frozen kale (about 26 oz / 750 g) also works and saves the cleaning; skip the blanching in that case.
Tip: Reheated, the kale often tastes better the next day. Add a little water, because the oats keep swelling.