Tristan's Shepherd's Pie: Follow me my flock pie

Adapted from Rachel Ray:

Ingredients
3-4 Large Idaho Potatoes peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 lb beef or turkey bacon chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground lamb
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (I don't actually like smoked paprika, so we use the substitute of 1 1/2 teaspoons each of paprika and cumin)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (I use 1 teaspoon of dried)
1 medium onion chopped
1 bag frozen mixed veggies (about 3 cups) (the recipe says dice up 2 carrots, 3 celery ribs, a small red bell pepper and add frozen peas. Too much work for me so I just put in what ever frozen veggies I have)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup sour cream
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
fresh chives (optional but makes it look pretty)


Directions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes while you make the turkey filling. There are also 2 alternatives. You can buy a package of ore ida frozen mashed potatoes. You cook them in the bag for like 10 min in the microwave, dump them out and mash them as directed below. You can also microwave the potatoes on high for 15-17 minutes and then mash them. Much easier and less mess than boiling. I've done both and both are good.

Heat a deep large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the skillet and then add the bacon and brown it up. Drain the excess fat. return 1 tablespoon of drippings back to the pan, add ground turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon. Season the turkey with the smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and thyme.

When the turkey is browned, add the onions and other veggies if they are fresh. If they are frozen, cook the onion for 3-4 minutes and then add frozen veggies.

Once the frozen veggies have thawed, add the flour (I usually have to add more as the veggies give off more water than the recipe expects) and stir. Cook for 2 minutes. The mixture will be very gummy and will want to burn easily, so keep stirring! Stir in the stock until all the flour has dissolved.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup of the sour cream, return to low heat and simmer.

Preheat the broiler to high.

When the potatoes are tender (or done in the microwave) , stir a ladel of the cooking water into the egg and drain the potatoes (tempers the egg so it won't scramble when added to the hot potatoes, hot water or stock will work fine as well). Return the potatoes to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sour cream, the butter, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk. They should be easy to spread unlike regular mashed potatoes but not runny.

Pour the turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top with the smashed potatoes and spread evenly. I find it easiest to put spoonfuls of potatoes all around and then get them to connect. Be careful not to push down too hard as the filling is easily displaced. Place the casserole 5 inches from the hot broiler. Broil until the potatoes are golden at the edges. Garnish the casserole with the chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.