Shepherd's Pie with Kale

Yes, another recipe with meat.  I know.  And unfortfunately this was another night that left me hungry because I refused to eat it; I hate all meat, but I have a real hatred for ground meat.  Anyway, I decided to make this because my friend Laura told me it was so amazing.  She sent the recipe to me a couple months ago, and even though it didn't sound like my cup of tea, I kept it, because I knew it would be something my family would love - plus I could make them eat kale!  I ended up giving it a try last week over April vacation.

Even I had to admit that the filling looked good.  I wasn't about to try it, but it was pretty with all the colors from the orange carrot, the green peas, and the white potatoes.  And anything that calls for fresh rosemary and thyme is a-okay in my book.

And let's talk about the mashed potatoes.  If I am to be honest, I scooped some of them out of the pan and ate them, and they were amazing.  Add sour cream to any mashed potato and they're good; then add some chopped kale and they're even better!

My family did enjoy this meal, although some of it did get thrown away (I swear, we always throw out leftovers when I cave and cook meat).  The boys were all happy that they got some "animal protein."  I think next time I will just make the mashed potatoes though :)

Recipe:

shepherd's pie with kale
from Five and Spice

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 pound ground lamb or beef
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon each chopped rosemary and thyme
1 1/2 cups peas
salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup cream or milk
1/4 cup sour cream
3 cups finely chopped kale

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Once the butter is coming add the onion, carrot and lamb and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat into small bits, until the meat is well browned and the onion is softened, about 10 minutes.

2) Drain off as much as of the fat as you can, then stir in the rosemary, thyme, tomato paste, broth and wine, and stir well.  Taste and add salt to taste.  Cook at a simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

3) While the lamb is cooking, put the potato chunks in a pot with just enough water to cover them.  Bring them to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are quite tender, 20 - 25 minutes.  Drain the potatoes into a colander.

4) Return the empty potato pot to the stove and add a tablespoon of butter.  Melt the butter over medium-high hear, then stir in the kale and a pinch of salt.  Cook, stirring, until the kale is all wilted, 3 - 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the cream, the remaining butter, and the potatoes.  Mash the potatoes until they are creamy and well mixed with the kale.  Mash in the sour cream and more salt to taste.

5)  Put the lamb mixture into a large baking dish, then spread the potato-kale mixture over the top.  Put the shepherd's pie into the oven and bake until the top is starting to turn golden-brown, about 30 minutes.  Then, take out of the oven and serve.