Instructions

1. To begin, you will need to prep all of your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
2. To caramelize the white onions, start by trimming off each end, cutting the onion in half, and then slicing. Combine in a steel or cast iron skillet with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and cook over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour, taking care to stir every 10 minutes. The onions are done cooking once they are brown in color. If you've made caramelized onions before, take note that the white onions don't tend to get as deep of a color as sweet onions do, but I like their stronger flavor in this recipe.
3. To roast your head of garlic, slice off the top, drizzle in 1 tsp olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast in a 400ºF oven for 35-45 minutes, or until it becomes soft and squishy.
4. Pierce 2 medium sweet potatoes 2 or 3 times with a fork, wrap in tinfoil, and bake in the oven with the roasting garlic. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft. Once it's done baking, allow the potatoes cool until you are able to handle them. Scoop 1 1/2 C worth of the cooked sweet potato into a dish and smash together with the roasted garlic and rosemary. Add salt to taste as desired.
5. While the onions, garlic, and potatoes are cooking, prep the kale, shred the gouda, and make the balsamic drizzle. Roughly chop the kale and cook it in a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp of olive oil until the kale is soft and tender. Add water to the pan 1 Tbsp at a time if the kale begins to dry out.
6. To make the balsamic drizzle, whisk it together with honey. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to low heat and simmer until the liquid is reduce by half. If you are making this ahead, you will want to heat it slightly before serving so that it's a better consistency to work with when drizzling.
7. To cook the quesadillas you will need either a quesadilla maker or a cast iron skillet. To assemble, place one tortilla on a quesadilla maker or in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. If using cast iron, make sure that it's well-seasoned and add the remaining olive oil to the skillet as needed to prevent sticking. Next, layer the sweet potato mixture, caramelized onions, kale, gouda, and then top with another tortilla. Finally, close the quesadilla maker, or press down with the second cast iron skillet. Cook 2 minutes in the skillet, then flip and cook another 2 minutes on the opposite side. If using a quesadilla maker, just wait for the "done" indicator to appear.
8. Once cooked, let each quesadilla cool for a minute before cutting. Serve immediately and garnish with a drizzle of the balsamic reduction. Repeat two more times for a total of 3 quesadillas.