Stamppot

Stamppot

A boerenkool (curly kale) stamppot served with traditional rookworst (smoked sausage)
Type	Side dish or Main course
Place of origin	Netherlands
Main ingredients	Potatoes, various vegetables and/or fruit
Variations	Hutspot, Wortelstoemp

Stamppot (English: Mash pot) is a traditional Dutch dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several other vegetables or fruits.

These vegetable pairings traditionally include sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, turnip greens, or carrot and onion (the combination of the latter two is known as hutspot in the Netherlands and as wortelstoemp in Belgium). Leafy greens such as endive may be left raw and added to the potatoes only at the mashing stage. Some regional varieties of stamppot are made with fruit and potatoes, such as blauwe bliksem (blue lightning), made with pears, and hete bliksem (hot lightning), made with apples. Pineapple may also be included in sauerkraut or endive stamppot.

Stamppot is usually served with sausage (in the Netherlands often smoked, in Belgium more often fried), julienned bacon, or stewed meat. Other accompaniments include cheese, gherkins, nuts or pickled onions.

It is primarily a cold-weather dish, though some varieties are eaten year-round.

Prepared stamppot can be purchased from shops and supermarkets. It can also be ordered in cafe-style restaurants, but more strict recent regulations about allowed foods in taverns versus restaurants has restricted the custom of offering simple dishes in many Belgian pubs.

The origin of stamppot is unknown, although legend attributes the invention of hutspot to 1574. Using raw leafy vegetables instead of cooking them with the potatoes has not been dated to earlier than 1940.

There are two methods of preparing stamppot, the first being the more modern form:

Lardons (spekjes) are often added for flavoring. It is also common to make a small hole in the top of the mix on the plate and fill it with gravy, known in Dutch as a kuiltje jus (little gravy pit).