This is a rustic farmer mash, a family recipe from one of the Dutch branches of our tribe. Roughly translated, it’s farmer’s cabbage hodgepodge: a combination of potatoes, cruciferous vegetables (in our version, kale), and dairy.
It’s commonly served with sausage, often a medium-grind rookworst. We make it in a single large pot. Many online recipes use 3–4 pots, but for us it’s comforting because it’s so simple to make.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 whole rookworst (optional)
- 1 medium bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned and roughly diced (enough to fill ½–⅔ of your largest pot)
- 1 large tin or jar of stewed kale (from most Dutch grocers)
- 2–3 tablespoons salt, for the cooking water
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 250 ml (1 cup) cream or whole milk
- 2–4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Vinegar, to serve
Method
Heat the oil in a large pot (6–8 L / 6–8 qt) and sauté the onion until soft. Add the whole rookworst, if using, and fry, flipping a few times.
Add the potatoes and cover with cold water. Add the kale with its brine, the salt, and the bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft; they’ll be about 95°C, and the rookworst will be over 80°C.
Lift the rookworst onto a large cutting board. Drain the pot carefully and remove the bay leaves. Mash with the butter, cream, and nutmeg. Season to taste.
Once the sausage has cooled a bit, dice it and stir it back into the mash.
To serve
In a bowl, with an ample side of nice vinegar.
Variations
Caulipots
Replace up to half the potatoes with roughly chopped, washed cauliflower. We called this “caulipots”, a way to hide more cruciferous veg when the kids were younger.