Netherlands: Stamppot Boerenkool, the Recipe That Warms You Up
Article
In LaBouffe, I often return to recipes that stand on their own: little fuss, plenty of flavour, and a real sense of balance. That is exactly why I keep stamppot boerenkool among my classics. I think of the Netherlands, of late afternoons along Amsterdam’s canals, of a cuisine that embraces the cold without complaining. I use 1 kg of floury potatoes, 500 g of finely sliced kale, 1 onion, 30 g of butter, a splash of hot milk, salt, pepper, and Dutch smoked sausages—rookworsten—to stay true to tradition. I cook the potatoes in salted water, adding the kale to the pot towards the end of cooking so that it retains just enough bite, then drain everything before mashing it with the butter and a little milk. I sauté the onion separately and mix it into the dish, then adjust the seasoning with a generous amount of pepper. I serve this stamppot piping hot, with the smoked sausage laid on top and a little cooking liquid if I want a looser texture. What I like is the way this recipe speaks of pace: it does not ask me to make life complicated; it simply gives me time to do things properly. It is straightforward, honest cooking, well suited to my thoughtful temperament. In my everyday life, between development work, films and podcasts, I like having this kind of clean, nourishing dish, with no need for presentation. Stamppot boerenkool from the Netherlands has that virtue: it is genuinely filling, it warms you up, and it retains a kind of simplicity that feels like me.
Information
Where: Pays-Bas