Stamppot

About This Recipe

Stamppot is the Netherlands' most quintessentially Dutch comfort food, the dish every Dutch person associates with cold, rainy autumns. It is fundamentally simple — boiled potatoes mashed with a vegetable — but the execution determines everything: properly drained, creamy, made with floury potatoes and plenty of butter and warm milk. There are six recognized stamppot varieties; boerenkool stamppot (kale) is the most iconic.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgfloury potatoes(peeled and cubed)
• 400 gcurly kale (boerenkool)(or savoy cabbage, finely shredded)
• 2 wholerookworst (Dutch smoked sausage)(or kielbasa)
• 100 mlwhole milk(warmed)
• 50 gbutter
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspblack pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook potatoes

   Boil potatoes in salted water 15–20 minutes until tender.

2. 2

   Cook the kale

   Add kale to the boiling potatoes in the last 5 minutes. Drain well.

3. 3

   Warm the sausage

   Poach sausage in hot (not boiling) water for 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Mash

   Mash potato and kale together with warm milk and butter until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

5. 5

   Serve

   Serve stamppot in bowls with sliced sausage on top. Optionally add a gravy called 'jus'.

Variations

• •

  Use sauerkraut (zuurkool) instead of kale for 'zuurkoolstamppot'

• •

  Mix in caramelized onions

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Reheat with a splash of milk to restore creaminess.

Frequently Asked Questions