• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About me
  • Expat Life
    • The every day
    • Language
  • Dutch Guides
  • Travel
    • Dutch Towns and Cities
    • Europe
    • Worldwide
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Films & TV

nether-netherland

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Make your own Boerenkool stamppot: the ugliest & most delicious Dutch comfort food

28th October 2020Dutch Food, Expat Life9

‘Boeren-wat wat-pot?!‘ I hear you cry in despair! What’s she on about this time? I’m on about the ugliest, yet most delicious Dutch cuisine, and today, I’m gonna teach you how to make it yourself, because quite frankly, it’s the best comfort food ever, and a winter staple here in The Netherlands.

Quick Find

  • What Is Boerenkool Stamppot?
  • Why Do the Dutch Eat Stamppot?
  • Make your own Boerenkool Stamppot
    • You Will Need
    • Time to Prep & Get Cooking

What Is Boerenkool Stamppot?

Stamppot is a cuisine from the Netherlands. In fact, it’s super simple to translate too: stamp – to stamp on something, or in this case, mash it up, and pot – as in, put it in a big one and leave it to boil for 30 minutes.

Boerenkool is a little harder to translate, and a little harder to say. Pronounce it ‘boor-en-coal‘ though and you’re practically winning. Boerenkool is simply kale, everyone’s favourite leafy vegetable that’s packed full of vitamins and minerals, and probably why Dutch people are super tall and strong (just kidding, it’s all the milk and cheese they consume).

I don’t know why I translated the words in the wrong order by the way, sorry.

When anyone asks me what this delightfully ugly dish is (I post it on Instagram at least once a week), I simply tell them that it’s ‘mashed kale and potato, with bacon lardons and a big sausage’. That’s always met with a few raised eyebrows, but you know the phrase – don’t judge a book by its cover, ok?!

Why Do the Dutch Eat Stamppot?

Stamppot isn’t contained to just the boerenkool variety, you know. In fact, there are plenty of delicious variations, including stamppot andijvie, hutspot, & even zuurkoolstamppot. As long as it includes potatoes (original or sweet) and some other form of vegetable, and it’s all mashed up, it’s a stamppot. And the Dutch are wild for it. As soon as the nights start drawing in, you’d better believe that bagged veggies specially packaged for stamppot become available.

I’m no historian, but a quick tap into Google’s search bar tells me that stamppot’s been around since the 1600’s. That’s proof enough that this is a tasty staple right? Still going strong over 400 years later? Who’d have thought it.

Traditionally eaten through the autumn and winter months, stamppot’s filling, and it’s made with all the veggies ripened for harvest – that’s why potatoes get the starring role I guess, and why other root veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and endive are thrown into the mix. This is a filling meal that’ll keep you going for the rest of the day – you’ve gotta give it a whirl. And that, my friends, (I guess), is why the Dutch love it so much.

Make your own Boerenkool Stamppot

Ready to learn how to make your very own ugly yet delicious boerenkool stamppot? I’ll tell you. It’s mind-bogglingly easy.

You Will Need

For 4 people (or 2 cheeky monkeys with big appetites!๐Ÿ˜)

  • 1 x 500g bag finely chopped kale
  • 1 x 1kg bag potatoes
  • 1 x packet bacon lardons / vegetarian lardons
  • 1 x rookworst / vegetarian rookworst
  • Milk / plant based milk – to taste, so add it with your heart
  • Butter / plant based butter – again, add this with your heart and soul
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Yellow Mustard – for the finished product
  • Clear Vinegar – for the finished product

Time to Prep & Get Cooking

You’ve got your ingredients, so let’s get going.

Firstly, fill your kettle and get it on. Then, grab your potatoes, and either peel them or don’t, this is your ugly Dutch meal. I’ve had it both ways, and with the peel, it’ll just be slightly more flavourful, and peely.

Chop your potatoes up into smaller chunks. Not so small that they turn to mush when they’re boiled – small enough to mash easily when they’re boiled.

Add the boerenkool (kale) and potatoes to a big pot, and pour the boiling water over them. Make sure all the veg is covered. Lob the lid on the pot, and set a timer for 15 minutes. It’s about to get steamy.

Unwrap the rookworst, and once your 15 minute timer has beeped, pop it into the pot with the veggies. Restart your timer at 15 minutes and leave it be.

When your timer’s at the 5 minute mark, fry the lardons in a pan, until they’re cooked to your liking. I like mine starting to get a bit crispy. Once they’re fried, drain the excess fat and pat them dry with some kitchen roll. Leave them be for a moment.

When your 15 minute timer goes off, remove the rookworst from the pot, and pop it on a plate. Then, drain the pot of water. I use a colander, because when I try to pour the water out using the pot’s lid, I end up covered in kaley steam.

Now you’ve got your potatoes and kale in the pot, and they’re ready to be stamped. Add salt & pepper, plus a little milk and butter (to your own taste) into the mix, and then stamp your vegetables to death.

Add the lardons, and mix.

Serve up your stamppot, adding an equal bit of rookworst for everyone who wants it. Add a little bit of mustard to taste, or, if you’ve got taste, pop some vinegar over the top. IT’S AMAZING. Imagine it’s fish and chips and go for it.

Enjoy!

9

Previous Post: « Discovering Utrecht’s Glorious Street Art
Next Post: Dutch Birthday Traditions »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dalia

    28th October 2020 at 8:26 pm

    Ugh yes!! Thank you for this. Will have a go once we get all our kitchen stuff back (story of my life!)

    Reply
    • Simone

      29th October 2020 at 7:50 am

      You’re welcome! Should I do a hutspot one too? That was your favourite right? And that’s what I’m making tonight *chef’s kiss*. Can’t wait to see you get boerenkool on the go <3

      Reply
  2. Ana Seas

    28th October 2020 at 10:06 pm

    Huge boerenkool fan here. I wrote a boerenkool recipe on my blog once but yours is way more gourmet! ๐Ÿ˜ป

    Reply
    • Simone

      29th October 2020 at 7:51 am

      Ooh, I need to check it out then. I would have never classed boerenkool as gourmet, but now I just have to haha. Thank you for your comment! I’m also a big boerenkool fan. I could eat it every night, and I’m not over-exaggerating.

      Reply
  3. Sarah

    29th October 2020 at 6:40 am

    Yaaas love it! Great photos too โ˜บ๏ธ

    Reply
    • Simone

      29th October 2020 at 7:52 am

      Ta! I forgot to take one of the actual meal like, but that’s me – get it to the table and I can’t leave it alone long enough to get a good photo of the end result haha. Can’t believe you found a veggie rookworst either. Mind blown, but in a good way.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Who am I?

Hi, I'm Simone! Welcome to Nether Netherland where I share all my expat adventures and travels weekly. If you're into adventures, street art, and food, you've come to the right place! Settle in and take a look around - and don't forget to leave me a comment! Read Moreโ€ฆ

Subscribe here!

I'd love you to be a part of my team - subscribe here to never miss a post!

Speak soon!

Expat in the Netherlands
Featured Expat
Blog Expat: living abroad

Archives

Search

Simone's books

Girl, Woman, Other
it was amazing
Girl, Woman, Other
by Bernardine Evaristo
Queenie
really liked it
Queenie
by Candice Carty-Williams
Dark Matter
it was amazing
Dark Matter
by Blake Crouch
Our Endless Numbered Days
really liked it
Our Endless Numbered Days
by Claire Fuller
Station Eleven
it was amazing
Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel

goodreads.com

@nether_netherland

This is an old tree ๐Ÿ‚ here's a Simone for scale This is an old tree ๐Ÿ‚ here's a Simone for scale! ๐Ÿ‚ This tree has been rocking it for hundreds of years already, and it'll still be rocking it long after I've popped my clogs. Isn't that crazy weird? ๐Ÿ‚ Or have I just had too little sleep? Anyway, I love autumn! Woo! Do you love autumn? (Re-reading this, I can tell, I've had too little sleep) ๐Ÿ˜ด
โ–ช๏ธŽ
#bestofnetherlands #heelnederland_fotografeert #hollandinbeeld #nederland #netherlands #ig_discover_netherlands #ig_discover_holland #dutch_connextion #hn_f #expat #expatblog #expatlifestyle #expats #liveabroad #instanetherlands #netherlandsofficial #netherlandsexplorer #netherlandsdaily #netherlandsvibes #netherlandsweekly #livelovenetherlands #explorenetherlands #lovefryslan #visitfriesland #ig_friesland #friesland #bestineurope #fryslรขn #besuchtfriesland
Look, I wanted to check out the street art in the Look, I wanted to check out the street art in the big cities in Sicily, but we had a nightmare getting in & if that don't play with your mood, I don't know what does.
โ–ช๏ธŽ
We landed in the hairiest back-end of Palermo, after driving 3 hours from Taormina. 
โ–ช๏ธŽ
Somehow, we'd managed to find our way into the dirtiest, smelliest area of the city, where there were piles of litter and waste dotted through the streets. At one point we had to dash past about 10 lined up bins and I physically heaved from the stench. We were fed up as soon as we left the car. 
โ–ช๏ธŽ
We'd been fleeced by some guy who told us to 'park here I'll make sure your car stays safe' and because driving in Italy was an absolute nightmare and we hadn't been able to find a good parking spot, we literally left the car with this randomer & gave him โ‚ฌ10 to do it. 
โ–ช๏ธŽ
It just... gave us a bad feeling about things. We worried about where we'd left the car, and I gotta say, I'd have never walked those streets alone, or with another female friend. By the time we'd found some of the beautiful hot spots (which were stunning!!) We were tired, and itching to get back to the car. Sometimes, what you envision as a cool day trip to the city ends up looking a little different right. But that's ok, it's not always how you see it on the Gram, is it.
โ–ช๏ธŽ
In a cool turn of events, we got back to the car and the guy was actually sat next to it, guarding it with his life. He earned his โ‚ฌ10 right there and then, and put our mind at ease ๐Ÿค—
โ–ช๏ธŽ
#mydestinationguide #thetraveltag #travelstribe #femaletravel #femmetravel #travelinhershoes #travelgram #travelingthroughtheworld #hello_worldpics #prettylittletrips #girlsdreamtravel #explorerbabes #traveldaily #creativetravelcouple #travelingladies #travelinglady #traveltribe #worldexplorer #traveldames #girlvsglobe #darlingescapes #palermo #sicily #streetart #sicilyitaly
๐Ÿฑ I was very surprised at the amount of street ๐Ÿฑ I was very surprised at the amount of street cats and kittens on the streets of Sicily. I thought that job was reserved for Greece. Obviously they were all cuties, and we totally fed almost every one we met, but this guy with his two coloured eyes stole our hearts ๐Ÿฑ
โ€ข
#sicily #sicilytravels #visitsicily #visititaly #italiandestination #travelandlearn #thetraveltribe #traveldames #travellingourplanet #shewanders #reallifeandstyle #fbloggeruk #curateyourownfeed #shinyhappybloggers #discoverunder500 #explorerbabes #worldofwanderlust #shesnotlost #pinktrotters #adventuresabroad #journeysofgirls #iammissadventure #travelrepost #abmtravelbug #passporttravel #catsofinstagram #catlady #moggy
I got a few messages from inquisitive souls during I got a few messages from inquisitive souls during our week away, asking what it was like traveling to Sicily re: The Rona. 
โ€ข
R booked this trip when our flights to the UK were cancelled. It went a little bit like 'well if the UK don't want us, we'll find somewhere that will'. We had a week off already booked, and a bit of sunshine was a serious plus.
โ€ข
Sicily was pretty much our only option because NL is slowly but surely being cut off by other countries because of the sudden rise in Covid cases, but who doesn't want to visit Italy?
โ€ข 
We always had it in the back of our minds that the trip would be cancelled, so we didn't get excited until the day we left. Even then, the thought of quick covid tests and temperature checks on arrival in Sicily made everything a bit nerve-wracking, and the amount of paperwork we had to fill in for both NL and Italy was a little overwhelming. There were health forms flying around and letters brandishing serious consequences for those who turned up on Italy's doorstep with Corona. Fair enough for sure, but this wasn't a completely stress-free trip that we didn't put a lot of thought into before we left.
โ€ข
Masks are mandatory in Schipol, on the plane, and in Sicily, so we felt relatively safe our entire trip thankfully. I've also never washed my hands so often or used so much hand sanitizer in my life. 
โ€ข
Regarding the return home: we don't have to go into mandatory quarantine, because Sicily is deemed safer than NL & isn't high risk. I'll obviously be staying home as much as possible besides supermarket shopping & heading to AMS for my biometrics on Wednesday though.
โ€ข
Got any questions about travel in the time of Corona? Leave them here ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป 
โ€ข
#travelandlearn #thetraveltribe #traveldames #travellingourplanet #shewanders #reallifeandstyle #fbloggeruk #curateyourownfeed #shinyhappybloggers #discoverunder500 #explorerbabes #worldofwanderlust #shesnotlost #pinktrotters #adventuresabroad #journeysofgirls #iammissadventure #travelrepost #abmtravelbug #passporttravel #travelblog #travelblogger #iamtb
#travelblogger #potd #traveltheworld #wanderlust #travelpics #passportready
Ummm, how beautiful is our planet? ๐ŸŒ๐ŸŒŠ We cla Ummm, how beautiful is our planet? ๐ŸŒ๐ŸŒŠ We clambered over rocks and wandered along a half demolished wall to reach this cove, where a few fishermen were busying themselves with their boat and nets. 
โ˜† 
We love heading to spots that aren't crowded (a ritual we've followed since even before Corona). Having this spot (almost) to ourselves was so relaxing. I could really stare at this view all day. Sorry to get a bit soft over the earth but I count every blessing when it comes to exploring our beautiful globe. 
โ˜† 
What's your favourite place on earth and why? ๐ŸŒ
โ˜†
#sicily #sicilytravels #visitsicily #visititaly #italiandestination #travelandlearn #thetraveltribe #traveldames #travellingourplanet #shewanders #reallifeandstyle #fbloggeruk #curateyourownfeed #shinyhappybloggers #discoverunder500 #explorerbabes #worldofwanderlust #shesnotlost #pinktrotters #adventuresabroad #journeysofgirls #iammissadventure #travelrepost #abmtravelbug #passporttravel
My favourite question to ask when I'm in a city li My favourite question to ask when I'm in a city like this: what colour would you paint your very own Sicilian townhouse? I really love the deep custard yellow (that's probably called ochre isn't it) or a rusty orange shade to complement my rusty orange noggin. R said blue. His town house would definitely stick out in what is a sea of pinks, yellows and oranges, but I like his style.
โ˜†
So go on, what colour would your Sicilian townhouse be?
โ˜†
#travelandlearn #thetraveltribe #traveldames #travellingourplanet #shewanders #reallifeandstyle #fbloggeruk #curateyourownfeed #shinyhappybloggers #discoverunder500 #explorerbabes #worldofwanderlust #shesnotlost #pinktrotters #adventuresabroad #journeysofgirls #iammissadventure #travelrepost #abmtravelbug #passporttravel #travelblog #travelblogger #iamtb #sicily #siciliรซ #taormina
Bonjourno from Sicily! ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น have you ever been Bonjourno from Sicily! ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น have you ever been to this beautiful island?
โ˜†
You know me, I'm always up for keeping it real. That's why this is no Insta Vs Reality shot, it's... just the reality shot (probably because I couldn't have got an Insta shot if I'd bloody tried up there tbh). 
โ˜†
๐ŸŒ‹Mt. Etna dominates the east coast of Sicily, so obviously we thought 'we gotta climb this beast'. Turns out it's bloody windy 3,000 metres up. I have never been so happy to wear sunglasses and a face mask because basically it felt like someone was stood in front of me chucking sand into my face the whole time. 
โ˜†
I even had to borrow a padded jacket (โ‚ฌ5 at the souvenir shop about half way up) because I literally took a denim jacket to Italy and nothing else of warmth, and when we arrived, everyone else preparing for the trek was wearing hard hats and serious hiking gear. What a pair of absolute novices eh. 
โ˜†
Anyway. Etna's apparently been spewing dust and black cloud since the end of September, which it hasn't done for a while before. I reeeally hope we aren't gonna have a 'thar she blows' moment before we leave on Saturday...๐ŸŒ‹
โ˜†
#mtetna #mountetna #mountetnasicily #sicily #sicilytravels #visitsicily #visititaly #italiandestination #travelandlearn #thetraveltribe #traveldames #travellingourplanet #shewanders #reallifeandstyle #fbloggeruk #curateyourownfeed #shinyhappybloggers #discoverunder500 #explorerbabes #worldofwanderlust #shesnotlost #pinktrotters #adventuresabroad #journeysofgirls #iammissadventure #travelrepost #abmtravelbug #passporttravel
Follow me!
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

Copyright © 2021 · nether-netherland · Hearten Made ⟡