Potato and spring onion salad

I tried this potato salad recipe from the British Country Living Magazine (May 2012). It is so good and will be one I make often. Here is my version of this salad...

Potato and spring onion salad
600 gr small potatoes (washed and cook with skins)
1 onion, chopped (I used a red onion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 spring onions, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons créme fraíche
1/2 teaspoon mustard
pinch of sugar

Cook the potatoes and cut them up in large chunks. Sauté the onion in olive oil just until it starts to go translucent. All the spring onion just just a minute longer and then add the potatoes.

Mix the 3 tbsp olive oil with the vinegar, créme fraíche, mustard and sugar. Now season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. Toss the potato/onion mixture into the sauce and mix thoroughly.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Rode bietjes stamppot - Dutch specialty

Rode bietjes stamppot (stamppot is a traditional dish where potatoes are mixed with one or more vegetables) is a tasty alternative to having the typical kale or andive in your stamppot. Rode bietjes are red beets as you can see from the photo. They do turn your potatoes to a red color but, believe me, it is delicious and simple to make.

Red beet stamppot
about 700 grams potatoes (approx 1-1/2lb)
500 grams cooked red beets (approx 1lb)
1 leek
thyme
salt and pepper
Dutch smoked sausage or preferred meat

Peel and cook the potatoes until soft. Add a pad of butter and mash them with a hand masher. Add a splash of milk being sure to keep the potatoes quite stiff. You do not want to make a creamy mash for stamppot.

Meanwhile, dice the cooked beets and slice the leek. Cook these together in a pan with a pad of butter, thyme and salt and pepper. This does not need to be on the heat for long as you just want to heat the beets and wilt the leeks.

Mix the vegetables into your potato mash and heat through. Serve with a Dutch smoke sausage or any meat of your choice. A traditional Dutch winter meal.....

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Belgian stoemp

I love trying new recipes but also trying specialties from various countries. I had some carrots and leeks and wanted to do something different with them so I tried out the Belgium version of our Dutch stamppot which is called stoemp. It was so easy to make since it is all thrown in one pot.

I also needed something that would taste good with the Beef Wellington I bought at our butcher. He makes them up when the weather starts to turn cold. They are so delicious and all you have to do is pop them in the oven. He makes his version with a very spicy meatloaf type filling instead of a piece of beef. It is something we look forward to as autumn starts.

Belgian stoemp for two
3 potatoes, peeled and largely diced
2 carrots, chopped in very small chunks
1 leek, sliced
50ml milk
50gr butter
salt and pepper
nutmeg

Peel and boil potatoes in salted water. When the potatoes only need about 5 minutes more, add the carrots and leeks to the water. (The carrots should not be so soft that they mash up which is why you add them later.) When the potatoes are ready, drain the water. Place the milk and butter in a small dish and warm up in a microwave. Now add the mixture to the potatoes, carrots and leeks and mash with a hand masher. Add salt. pepper and nutmeg to taste.

As you can see, we love pepper here so I added a good deal of freshly ground pepper over the stoemp before I served it.

Eet smakelijk!
Heidi

Dutch specialty foods - Prei prol

I love food from various cultures. Here in Holland, the good and hearty foods are a comfort but also warming in the damp, cold climate we have here. Recently, while watching a show where Dutch farmer's wives were cooking local dishes, I came across this recipe for the first time. This is my version of a dish from the regions of Zeeland and Brabant.

"Stamppot" is a combination of potatoes with vegetable and sometimes meat. It is all mashed together in one pan. The pan is then placed on the dinner table for everyone to dish up their plates. This is a Dutch tradition in just about every family. Most families have their own recipes for various stamppots. I know my American family thought it was a strange idea at first but they love it.

"Prei prol" or Leek stamppot


1 leek, washed well and sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
5 or 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
bacon, cut in block or strips...I just used literally a handful of bacon lardons
2 eggs, hard boiled
butter
milk
vinegar
salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in water until soft. Boil the eggs. While potatoes and eggs are boiling, cook the bacon. Add the sliced leek and two of the sliced spring onions until glassy and tender. Turn off the heat and set the frying pan aside.
Drain the potatoes and add a little pad of butter. Using a potato masher, stamp your potatoes adding a little milk. The mash should be be robust and lumpy as stamppot is not a puree. Now add a teaspoon full of vinegar and stir in the leeks, spring onions and bacon.
Peel the eggs and chop them up but not too fine. Lightly mix the egg through the stamppot being careful not to break the eggs up too much. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves two.

This can be eaten as a meal in itself or serve with a piece of meat or sausage to choice. I served it with a patty of ground steak with English brown sauce. I sauteed two whole spring onions to serve on top.

Bon appitit or eet smakelijk!
Heidi