Dutch Food: Stamppot

In search of a "typical Dutch" dish to prepare for dinner, I informally surveyed several international friends here in Groningen.  When asked to name a typical Dutch dish, nearly everyone included stamppot among their responses.

So, what is stamppot?  It's simply mashed potatoes with a variety of other veggies and herbs thrown in and smashed together.  As this is primarily a vegetable dish,  stamppot is extremely easy to "veganize" (just omit the sausage or bacon that most recipes call for).  So, I decided that stamppot would be a good dish to start with as I enter the exciting world of Dutch cooking.

Here's the recipe that a good friend here in Groningen helped me put together:

Vegan Stamppot (serves 2 as main, 4 as side)
Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 cups curly kale (boerenkool), chopped
1 medium leek, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 ml (2 tsp) dried rosemary
5 ml (1 tsp) dried thyme
10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large stockpot, boil the potatoes and carrots for 25 minutes, or until tender.  After 15 minutes, add the chopped kale.
2.  In a separate, lightly oiled pan, sautee the garlic and leek until tender.
3. Drain the potatoes, carrots, and kale.  Return everything to the pot, and add the garlic and leek.  Measure out and add the rosemary, thyme, olive oil, salt, and ground pepper.
4. Mash together until smooth.  A splash of plain soymilk can be added for a smoother texture.

And here are some photos:

Boiled potatoes, carrots, and kale are mixed together

Herbs and olive oil are added

Plated and ready to eat!

I served my stamppot with quinoa and marinated, baked tofu for a well-rounded, hearty meal.  I enjoyed the stamppot - it was a great accompaniment to the baked tofu, and a fun way to dress up otherwise boring mashed potatoes.

After perusing some Dutch cookbooks, I've found that there are a lot of variations on stamppot, so I'll post updates when I try out other recipes.

Tell me in the comments if you have any fun Dutch recipes that I should try out!