Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce.

Slice sweet potatoes into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Remove and discard any large stems from kale; chop into bite-size pieces. Halve, peel, and finely dice half the shallot (whole shallot for 4 servings). Place peppercorns in a zip-close bag and crush with a heavy-bottomed pan or rolling pin.

In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with a large drizzle of oil, half the garlic powder (you’ll use the rest later), a couple big pinches of salt, and pepper.

Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast on the top rack until browned and cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

While sweet potatoes roast, place kale in bowl used for sweet potatoes and lightly season with salt.

Using your hands, massage kale (similar to how you would knead dough) until leaves are tender, 1 minute. (TIP: To make kale even more tender, add a drizzle of olive oil along with the salt before massaging.) Set aside.

Pat chicken* dry with paper towels and season all over with remaining garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. TIP: If chicken begins to brown too quickly, reduce heat to medium and cover after chicken is flipped.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil. Turn off heat; rinse and wipe out pan.

Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium heat. Add minced shallot; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes.

Add ¼ cup water (½ cup for 4 servings), stock concentrate, and ½ tsp crushed peppercorns (1 tsp for 4) and bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1-3 minutes. (Save the remaining crushed peppercorns for another use.) Remove from heat.

Stir in crème fraîche, half the dressing, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until butter is melted. Taste and season with salt.

Halve, core, and thinly slice apple.

To bowl with kale, add apple, cranberries, sunflower seeds, half the Parmesan, and remaining dressing to taste; toss to coat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice chicken crosswise.

Divide chicken, sweet potatoes, and salad between plates. Spoon sauce over chicken. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over salad and serve.