mike@idca.tds.philips.nl (Mike Corrall) (06/24/91)
DUTCH 'POT' RECIPES
-------------------
1. INTRODUCTION
For a long time the Dutch have had various recipes with a mashed potato
base; I call these the 'Pot' recipes, mainly because their Dutch names
usually end in 'pot'. They are mostly recipes from the less well-off
sectors of society, so not expensive to make. Originally they all added
fried bacon-fat; I have left this ingredient out, for health reasons.
If you do add bacon, add a little vinegar as well.
I have adjusted the quantities for four people.
2. FILOSOOF (THE PHILOSOPHER)
This is a good recipe for using up left-over cooked meat, such as beef;
it may also be used with freshly-cooked meat like hamburgers.
Ingredients
400 g Potato puree 14 to 16 oz.
150 g Cooked meat 6 oz.
100 g Onions 4 oz.
100 ml Gravy 1/6 pint
20 g Margarine 4/5 oz.
8 g Flour 1 tsp.
1 Bay leaf 1
pinch Ground cloves pinch
pinch Pepper pinch
Method
Chop the onion and fry it in the margarine until light brown. Add the
meat, minced or finely chopped, the gravy and the spices. Simmer until
the meat is not tough any longer (about 20 min). Stir in the flour to
bind the gravy; remove the bay leaf.
In an oven-proof dish, put the meat and the puree in layers; start with
meat and finish with puree. If wished, cover the top with bread-crumbs.
Dot with a little marg, and put into a hot oven until there is a brown
layer on top.
Variations
1. Between the layers, put slices of baked apple (see Hot Lightning Pot).
2. Instead of the meat use cooked brown beans (300 g, 12 oz.). Use a
little less potato in this case. Or use a tin of baked beans; put
the apple slices in as well.
2. HETE BLIKSEM (HOT LIGHTNING POT)
So called because of the amount of freshly ground black pepper in the
dish. It tastes good with pork chop, Cumberland sausage, black pudding
or other fresh or salt pork. You could try it also with hamburgers or
other minced beef products.
Ingredients
500 g Potatoes, peeled 1 lb.
500 g Cooking apples 1 lb.
50 ml Milk (optional) 1/12 pint (approx.)
50 g Margarine 2 oz.
10 g Pepper, fresh ground 2/5 oz.
black
pinch Salt pinch
Method
Peel and slice the potatoes; peel, quarter and de-core the apples. Put
the potatoes in a saucepan with the apples on top. Add 100 ml (1/6
pint) water and some salt. Cook for 20 to 25 min. Drain. Mash the
potato and apple. Add the margarine, salt and pepper, and the milk if
wished, until you get a smooth puree.
If you use half cooking apples and half eaters, you need not add any
sugar to the puree. Otherwise, you may add some sugar with the marg.
May be kept in the deep-freeze.
3 HUTSPOT
Hutspot is a mixture of carrots, mashed potato and onions, and is good
with sausages, other pork such as ham, but also beef. I have used it as
a topping for cottage pie, with good results. The usual proportions are
two parts potato, one or two parts carrot and one part onion.
Ingredients
500 g Potatoes 1 lb
500 g Carrots 1 lb
250 g Onions 8 oz.
100 ml Milk 1/6 pint
50 g Margarine 2 oz.
pinch Salt pinch
Method
Peel and cube the potatoes; peel and slice the carrots; peel and chop
the onions. Put all into a saucepan with 100 to 200 ml water (about 1/4
pint), bring to the boil and simmer for 20 to 25 mins. Drain, mash
together and add the margarine and the milk, to give a smooth puree.
Serve with the meat and gravy.
May be kept in the deep-freeze. May also be served with chicken pieces
or cordon bleu chicken fillets, stewed steak, bacon or ham.
4 HUTSPOT, BEETROOT
This is similar to carrot hutspot, but uses beetroot instead. The
proportions are changed to two parts potato, one part beetroot, and
little or no onion. This dish is good with blood pudding.
Ingredients
500 g Potatoes 1 lb
250 g Beetroot, cooked 8 oz.
300 ml Milk 1/2 pint
20 g Margarine 4/5 oz.
little Vinegar little
Method
Peel and cube the potatoes, and put into a saucepan with water and
salt. Bring to the boil and cook until nearly ready (about 15 to 20
mins.). Add the sliced beetroot and cook another five mins. Drain and
mash the mixture, and add the boiling milk and margarine. Bring to
taste with vinegar and black pepper. Serve with the meat and gravy.
Like carrot hutspot, may be kept in the deep-freeze.
5 HUTSPOT, LEIDSE
This dish seems to be older than the others in this chapter, since it
can use parsnip instead of potato. So it may date back to before
potatoes were known in the Netherlands. The basis is beans and carrots.
Serves six; I have not changed the quantities for this dish.
Ingredients
1000 g Carrots (winter) 2 lb
400 g Dried haricot beans 12 oz.
400 g Potato 12 oz.
250 g Bacon, lean smoked 8 oz.
3 Onions 3
Method
Soak the beans in 1.5 l (2 pints) water for 12 hours, then drain. Put
into more water and bring to the boil. Cube the bacon (1 cm, or 2/5
inch) and add to the beans; cook gently for about 20 mins. Skim off
any foam. Peel and chop the onions; peel and cube the potatoes and
carrots. Add to the beans, with a little salt, and simmer gently for 45
mins. or until done. Drain, mix well together and add salt and pepper
to taste.
Variations
Use parsnip instead of potato (this seems to be the original version).
Use tinned beans (baked beans in tomato sauce); it's quicker!
Replace the bacon with sausages, fried separately.
6 STAMPPOTS
Stamppot is a mixture of mashed potato with a green vegetable, such as
cabbage or spinach. In some cases the greens are mixed with the hot
mashed potato while raw; the heat of the potato cooks them.
The green vegetable may be: endive; broccoli; green, red or white
cabbage; curly kale; the tops of turnips or swedes.
Stamppot is always served with a rich dark gravy; the meat may be
minced-meat balls, pork chop, ham or bacon, or similar.
7 STAMPPOT BOERENKOOL (CURLY KALE)
Ingredients
400 g Potato 12 oz.
400 g Curly Kale 12 oz.
300 g Smoked Sausage 12 oz.
150 ml Milk 1/4 pint
100 g Bacon, lean smoked 4 oz.
50 g Margarine 2 oz.
little Vinegar (optional) little
Method
Wash and finely chop the kale. Peel, wash and cube the potatoes. Put
them both into a big saucepan, with some water and a little salt. Put
the bacon and the sausage on top. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently
for 30 to 40 min.
Remove the bacon and sausage. Cube the bacon (1/2 in, 1 cm), slice the
sausage diagonally (1/4 in, 1/2 cm). Drain the potatoes and kale, mash
adding the milk and margarine and the vinegar if wished. Put into a
pre-warmed dish, put the bacon and sausage on top, and serve.
May be kept in the deep-freeze. The original recipe suggests cooking
the kale, sausage and bacon 10 minutes, then adding the potato; it
depends on the quality of the kale.
8 STAMPPOT BROCCOLI
Ingredients
In the above recipe, replace the kale by 350 g broccoli.
Method
Use the same method as in the above recipe.
9 STAMPPOT SPINAZIE (SPINACH)
Ingredients
750 g Potatoes 1 1/2 lb.
250 g Spinach (fresh) 1/4 lb.
300 ml Milk 1/2 pint
little Margarine little
Method
Peel and chop the potatoes, and boil in a little water for about 20
min. Meanwhile wash the spinach, drain and chop finely. Drain the
potatoes, add a lump of margarine, the milk, and salt and pepper to
taste. The Dutch add a little ground nutmeg; try it! Mash to a smooth
puree; mix the spinach thoroughly into the puree and serve. Good with
most things, including white fish.
Can be kept in the deep-freeze.
Variations
Instead of spinach, use endive (andijvie), purslain (postelein),
the tops of turnips or beetroot leaves.