Nordic Kale: A Creamy Kale Recipe with Potatoes

Nordic kale takes around 45 minutes to make: fresh kale, floury potatoes, onions and a splash of cream – a one-pot dish that warms you from the inside and doesn't ask much of you. This kale recipe skips the sausage entirely and is still thoroughly hearty.

November is peak season for kale here. After the first cold nights it turns milder and faintly sweet, and you'll find fresh bunches lined up at the market. Paired with potatoes from the autumn harvest, it makes a meal made for grey November evenings.

Ingredients

Serves 4:

• 800g fresh kale (or 600g ready-trimmed)
• 800g floury potatoes, e.g. Maris Piper
• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp butter
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 150ml double cream
• 1 tsp medium mustard
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Wash the kale thoroughly, strip the leaves from the tough stalks and roughly chop. A 20cm chef's knife makes short work of this – the long blade cuts cleanly through the thick layers of leaves.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes of about 2cm. Finely dice the onions.
3. Melt the butter in a large pot and sweat the onions over medium heat until translucent, without letting them colour.
4. Add the kale in batches and let it wilt down. Pour in the stock, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes.
5. Stir in the potato cubes and cook for a further 15 minutes, until they're tender and just starting to break down at the edges. Give it the odd stir along the way.
6. Stir in the cream, mustard and nutmeg. Season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper from the salt and pepper mill.
7. Let it bubble uncovered for another two minutes, then serve hot. A dab of mustard on the side of the plate goes down well.

kjøk tip

Kale is tough stuff: a truly sharp blade separates the leaves cleanly from the stalk instead of crushing them – and crushed leaves turn mushy fast in the pot. To keep your knife up to the job, wash it by hand straight after cooking, dry it immediately, and never let it near the dishwasher; a few passes over the whetstone every few weeks will keep the edge in shape. The olive wood handle isn't keen on the dishwasher either – hand wash it, and rub in a drop of food-safe oil now and then, letting it soak in briefly to keep the wood supple. Keep your mill somewhere dry and away from the stove, where steam is always rising. You'll find more tools for the stove-top pot under Cooking & Frying.

FAQs

Does kale really need to have had a frost?

No, that's more of an old rule of thumb. Frost converts starch into sugar and mellows the kale, but modern varieties taste good even without a cold night outdoors. If you want to be sure, just pop the trimmed kale in the freezer overnight instead.

Can I use frozen kale?

Yes, that works well. Use 600g frozen kale and add it to the pot straight from frozen. The cooking time then drops to around 15 minutes before the potatoes go in.

How do I make the stew creamy without cream?

Mash a third of the potatoes with a fork right in the pot, and the starch will thicken the stock on its own. In place of cream, you can also stir in a splash of oat milk or a knob of cold butter.