What’s Stamppot?
When I visited Amsterdam last Winter, I happened to stumble upon an old Dutch pub serving local brews, fun sharable dishes, and traditional foodstuffs. Among those featured stamppot. The waiter proclaimed that, if I was in for the true Dutch pub experience, I had to order this traditional potato mash and water it down with some Pilsner or Herfstbok, both popular options amongst the habitual crowds.
It was cold and rainy outside, and I, damp and shivering, sought nothing but the warming properties of wholesome, heavy comfort food. So stamppot it was, “with all the sides and trimmings!”, he exclaimed. “Sure, why not?”, I retorted. A short while later, there came the thick potato mash, with lots of trimmings.
The kitchen had piled the stamppot over a wooden serve tray and surrounded it with sausage, mustards, pickled veggies, and large slices of cheese. Sitting atop the potato and greens mash, there was a pool of melting butter. I didn’t touch the meats (those I offered to my cohorts, who accepted them enthusiastically) but did eat the stamppot in all its buttery glory.
Once at home, I replicated the dish with simple vegan ingredients; sometimes I would add carrots, or often kale and spring onion… This fine-tuned stamppot recipe emphasizes the creaminess of yellow potatoes, the natural sweetness of yellow onion, and the fresh earthiness of baby spinach leaves. This dish symbolizes the transition from the cold winter days to the more mild and tender spring afternoons, when the sun is out and the gardens show signs of sprouting life.
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25-35 min | Serves: 4 | Difficulty Level: Easy-Peasy
Ingredients
- 1 lb small yellow potatoes
- ½ sweet yellow onion, appx 2/3 cup
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups plant-based milk, plus 2 tbsp, divided
- 3 tbsp plant-based butter
- ½ tsp smoked salt
- ½ tsp table salt
- 1 tsp white pepper, freshly-ground
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
Optional Condiments and Trimmings are listed in the “Extras and Tips” section following this recipe.
Method
Peel and quarter the potatoes and place them in a Dutch along with the diced onion and peeled whole garlic cloves. Add the 2 cups of milk, salts, and freshly-ground white pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stew for 22 to 25 minutes checking every now and then that there is still some cooking liquid in the pot. If it seems too dry, pour in some water or milk, no more than 2 to 3 tbsp, in small increments.
After cooking for 25 minutes, the potatoes should be soft enough to be crushed with a fork or potato masher. If so, add the spinach leaves and press down with the masher to incorporate all ingredients together directly in the Dutch oven. In case the potatoes are still a bit hard, place the lid back on and continue to stew for a couple of minutes longer, then add the spinach and mash as described previously.
After mashing the vegetables, remove the Dutch oven from the heat, add the butter, and beat with a whisk to make the mash as creamy as possible. You can use a hand whisk or an electric mixer with the whisk attachments.
Place the lid back on to create steam to tenderize the greens but don’t return to heat. Set aside for 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of milk when warming up the stamppot for serving.
EXTRAS AND TIPS
Ideal Sides and Trimmings
Non-Vegan Options: Any cured meats, jerky, salami, or smoked kielbasa will be a good accompaniment, if you are an omnivore, that is. Gouda and Maasdam cheese are also perfect matches to eat alongside stamppot and over a slice of rye seed bread (I will share my recipe of the loaf soon).
Plant-Based Favs: My favorite all-vegan options are pickled beets, caramelized onion jam, and prunes. If your tastebuds feel less adventurous, try it with knäckebröd (Swedish crisp bread) and vegan smoked Gouda or sour cream.
