Martha, Martha, Martha & a sassy sweet potato.

Oh, Martha. Be still my beating heart. I am unhealthily obsessed with all things Martha. Nevermind that 75% of what she attempts to convince me is necessary turns out to be: a) completely, utterly ridiculous (um, chopping off the sleeves of your sweatshirt and transforming it into a trendy top with cap sleeves?); b) a giant time suck (homemade pierogies - the Polish Christmas tamale); c) ugly (all crafts involving glitter).

I LOVE MARTHA.

My Kitchenaid stand mixer is Martha (it's Tiffany blue - I know).

My bath towels are Martha.

I have a Martha cookbook. I buy Martha magazines. I know the name of one of her two French bulldogs (Francesca! What's the other one?! Snarky?). I watch her daughter's show on TV (Alexis on Whatever, Martha.) I share her love of Snoop Dogg. I wish she hadn't gone to jail (who wouldn't have sold that stock????), but I even love her Martha Stewart Apprentice rejects (team Bethenny!!).

I just freaking love Martha, okay??? Almost as much as Ina, but Ina doesn't have much of a housewares empire.

It comes down to this: Martha has literally never steered me wrong.

I'm buying into her brand, and I am not ashamed. She's got some fabulous people behind her. I might even be persuaded to head on over to Wal-Mart to pick up some of her Martha brand craft supplies (star-shaped hole punch, anyone?). Well ... maybe not that last one. Wal-Mart is off limits.

So tonight, Martha stayed true to her essential nature. Solid sweet potato recipe with a twist.

Kale, ricotta, and garlic chips, on a lovely baked sweet potato!


With toast!

Couldn't be simpler. Here's what you do (thanks, Martha!):

Kale & Ricotta Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe, which is here.

4 sweet potatoes, well scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese (use a nice one, not the regular grocery store brand)

Bake the sweet potato: Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil; douse with S&P. Bake for about 45 minutes; if your potatoes are large, they might need up to 1 hour.

Make the garlic chips & kale: Peel and thinly slice two cloves of garlic. Clean and trim one bunch of kale (I used Red Russian but you can use regular or lacinto as well); slice into ribbons. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook for one to two minutes, until golden. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon; place on a paper towel to drain. Add the kale to the skillet and stir until it wilts. Continue to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until the kale is tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar, plus red pepper flakes to taste. Season with S&P.

Assemble potatoes: Slice each potato lengthwise. Top with ricotta, kale, and garlic chips. Enjoy!