Endive stamppot with bacon and aged cheese
Dutch winter food in its purest form. The secret of a good stamppot is the right potato (floury, not waxy) and a good balance of endive to mash. Too much endive makes it watery, too little tastes bland. Aged cheese is not an extra here but a lead role: the salty, sharp melted bits in the mash are what it's all about. Serve with an old-fashioned meatball and gravy, or simply with a knob of butter in the middle.
- 1 kg floury potatoes
- 1 tsp salt
1 Peel the potatoes and cut into even pieces. Put them in the Dutch oven with plenty of water and salt, bring to the boil and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until tender.
- 200 g diced bacon
- 1 onion
2 Finely chop the onion. Fry the bacon in a frying pan until golden and crisp. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Set aside.
- 400 g fresh endive
3 Wash the endive and slice very finely. Remove any thick, hard stem ends.
4 Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry in the pan without the lid for 2 minutes. This stops the mash getting watery.
- 100 ml warm whole milk
- 50 g butter
- salt, pepper and nutmeg
5 Mash the potatoes with the milk and butter into a creamy mash. Don't mash too finely, a bit of texture is fine. Season to taste.
6 Stir the sliced endive through the hot mash. It wilts straight away but keeps its fresh colour. Stir in the bacon and onion.
- 100 g mature or aged Gouda, diced
7 Stir in the cheese just before serving. It half melts and leaves tasty pockets in the stamppot.
Ingredients
Step 1
- 1 kg floury potatoes
- 1 tsp salt
Step 2
- 200 g diced bacon
- 1 onion
Step 3
- 400 g fresh endive
Step 5
- 100 ml warm whole milk
- 50 g butter
- salt, pepper and nutmeg
Step 7
- 100 g mature or aged Gouda, diced
Method
- 1 Peel the potatoes and cut into even pieces. Put them in the Dutch oven with plenty of water and salt, bring to the boil and cook for 18 to 20 minutes until tender.
- 2 Finely chop the onion. Fry the bacon in a frying pan until golden and crisp. Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Set aside.
- 3 Wash the endive and slice very finely. Remove any thick, hard stem ends.
- 4 Drain the potatoes and let them steam dry in the pan without the lid for 2 minutes. This stops the mash getting watery.
- 5 Mash the potatoes with the milk and butter into a creamy mash. Don't mash too finely, a bit of texture is fine. Season to taste.
- 6 Stir the sliced endive through the hot mash. It wilts straight away but keeps its fresh colour. Stir in the bacon and onion.
- 7 Stir in the cheese just before serving. It half melts and leaves tasty pockets in the stamppot.
