Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius).

Put hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.

Toast nuts in the oven for 8-10 minutes—the skins will become quite dark, and you will begin to smell them toasting.

While nuts are toasting, make your vinaigrette. First whisk together red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup. Then whisk in the olive oil. Whisk in salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

When hazelnuts are done, remove from oven, and pour them into a clean kitchen towel. Pull the sides of the towel up around the nuts so they are enclosed tightly in a ball at the bottom of the towel. Twist the top of the towel so none of the nuts will escape. Then rub the hazelnuts against each other through the towel—the friction will cause the skins to peel off. Open the towel and take out the hazelnuts.

If there are unpeeled nuts, you can try the towel trick again, or you can peel them with your fingers. Any stubborn peels can be left on.

Roughly chop the hazelnuts.

Now, prepare the kale. Rinse kale and pat dry. Then fold each kale leaf over on its center stalk, and slice the greens away from the stalk.

Put the sliced kale into a large bowl and add a few tablespoons of vinaigrette. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves—this will help tenderize the leaves. Add more dressing if you need more to coat the leaves. Otherwise, leave the rest for serving.

Let kale sit for 5-10 minutes to let the leaves absorb the dressing and soften up.

Then add dried cranberries and hazelnuts and toss.

Dollop goat cheese over the top of the salad and serve.