Kale Shepard's Pie

Okay I am not a big fan of kale. I have tried it may times in different ways and have yet to find a way that both my husband and I could eat. I received a recipe from a friend that looked really good, but I wanted to add a little to it so I could make it a meal. Everyone LOVED this recipe and ate it up!! Here is the basic recipe:

Wash the kale and steam for appx 10min in a large pot with a lid (you can just lay it in the pot with 2” of water and boil – just make sure it doesn’t get mushy)

When the kale is softened, remove the pot from the heat and put the kale in a strainer (over the pot) squeezing the excess water back into the pot. Then add your potatoes – cut into small pieces so they cook quickly. You may need to add a little more water, but you’ll only want enough to steam the potatoes with – you will not drain them once they are cooked. You’ll also add peeled garlic cloves (if you wish).

While the potatoes are cooking, strip the leafy part of the kale from the stem by holding the base of the stem firmly in one hand and run your other hand down the stem – either way, you just want to make sure you use only the leafy part. Roll the leaves up in a ball and chop it until it’s in small shredded pieces.

Once the potatoes are soft, add the kale and mash together (there should still be a little tiny bit of water to help keep things mashed together).

Add salt and pepper and/or butter to taste! My dad also adds small pieces of sausage to it, so if your family likes that it may be something to try?

I made the mashed potato part with the kale, but while everything was steaming I sauteed some vidalia onions and garlic in olive oil and added chicken sausage. I let this simmer while everything was cooking then added the mixture to the mashed potato and kale. I added some sour cream and cheddar cheese and put everything in a baking dish, covered it with cheddar cheese, and place it in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.