Stamppot with Sauerkraut and Bacon (Dutch Zuurkoolstamppot)

Originating in the 1600s, stamppot is one of the oldest Dutch recipes that remains popular today. The traditional Dutch stamppot recipes use mashed potatoes as the base, and then incorporate a vegetable (most often sauerkraut, kale, endive, spinach, and turnip greens) and sometimes a meat, making the quintessential comfort food dish. There are no real rules about what goes into a stamppot, though, so the variety is as endless as your imagination. Stamppot originated as a winter dish, perfect to fill up the potato farmers during harvest. One of the first stamppots created is the hutspot, which was born out of the Dutch's "Eighty Year's War" with Spain. The story goes that when the Spanish soldiers fled, they left behind bits of a stew that the starving Dutch welcomed and named hutspot, meaning "mix pot". Sauerkraut has long been a vital source of vitamin C during cold Dutch winters, but the Dutch did not discover this wholesome food. In fact, it is said that the builders of the Great Wall of China kept their strength up with pickled cabbage. It is likely that Tartares brought the recipe for sauerkraut with them to Russia and Western Europe, where sweet-sour flavours were much loved in the Middle Ages. Thanks to the increasing awareness of the health benefits of lacto-fermentation, old-fashioned fermented foods are once again gaining in popularity in the Netherlands, and beyond. Of course, today zuurkoolstamppot is mostly enjoyed for its hearty comfort in the colder months, but knowing its good for you is heartening too. Traditionally sauerkraut stamppot is also served with rookworst, but we usually leave out this smoked Dutch sausage, because the bacon in the recipe already imparts plenty of porky flavour.

3.3 lb floury potatoes (1.5 kg)
¾ lb lean unsmoked cured bacon/zuurkoolspek (350 g)
1¾ lb sauerkraut (750 g)
2 cups milk (475 mL)
2 Tbsp. butter
kosher or sea salt
black pepper, fresh ground
1 cup celery leaf (selderieblad) (40 g)

Peel and dice the potatoes and cook in salted water in a large soup pot for 20 minutes, or until tender.

In a skillet or frying pan, fry the bacon until just crispy, and drain on kitchen paper. Add the sauerkraut to the bacon fat in the pan and allow to warm through. Meanwhile, warm the milk in a small saucepan.

Drain, shake and dry the potatoes with kitchen towels before mashing with a potato masher or ricer. Quickly add the warmed milk and butter to the potatoes and season to taste.

Fold the sauerkraut through the mashed potatoes. Crumble the bacon and finely chopped celery leaves over the dish, fold through, and serve piping hot.

Makes 4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Celery leaf is a commonly used herb in the Netherlands and it is available in most Dutch supermarkets. If it is hard to find where you live, simply buy a bunch of stick celery and use the tender interior leaves.
• Zuurkoolspek is a Dutch bacon variety made from pork belly cured in a salt brine. If you can't find it where you live, ask your butcher to recommend something similar.
• While stamppotten are usually served as a main meal in the Netherlands, you could also serve this as a side dish with pork, beef or game meats.