National Dish Netherlands: Celeriac Stamppot (Recipe)
In this article
Stamppot is potato mashed with a vegetable, and the vegetable changes with the season and the region. Celeriac gives a nuttier, less watery result than the kale or endive versions. A sausage goes on top and gravy in a well in the middle.
About Celeriac Stamppot
Stamppot is Dutch winter food and there are half a dozen standard versions: with kale, with endive, with sauerkraut, with carrot and onion, which is hutspot. The method is identical in each: boil, mash, add fat and dairy, serve with meat.
It is unglamorous and it is what the Netherlands actually eats when it is cold.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 300 g celeriac
- 300 g potatoes
- 50 ml milk or a plant-based alternative
- 30 g butter or margarine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: a sausage or roast beef, to serve
Shopping for the ingredients
Floury potatoes, Bintje or Maris Piper. A rookworst, the Dutch smoked sausage, is the standard partner and is sold in Dutch and German shops. Celeriac should feel heavy and sound solid when tapped.
Preparing the dish
Cut the celeriac slightly smaller than the potatoes, since it takes a little longer. Drain them properly and let the steam escape for a minute before mashing, or the stamppot is watery.
Step-by-step instructions
- Bring the potatoes and celeriac to the boil in a pan with plenty of salted water.
- Cook the ingredients for around 20 minutes, until they are soft.
- Drain off the water and return the potatoes and celeriac to the pan, letting the steam escape.
- Add the butter and milk and mash everything well with a potato masher until you reach a creamy consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with a sausage or roast beef.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
The stamppot itself is gluten-free; the sausage may not be, so check it. For lactose-free, use a plant milk and margarine, which changes very little.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
With plant milk and margarine the stamppot is vegan. A vegetarian sausage or a mushroom gravy takes the place of the rookworst. Dutch supermarkets sell both, which tells you how normal this has become.
More tips and tricks
Let the steam off before mashing. Use a masher and not a blender, since blending potato releases starch and gives glue. And make a well in the middle for gravy, which is not decoration but the correct way to serve it.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Boerenkool with kale is the most traditional, and stamppot andijvie uses endive. Hutspot with carrot and onion carries a story about the relief of Leiden in 1574. Crisp bacon or fried onion on top is common.
Ingredient substitutions
Kale, endive, sauerkraut, carrot and spinach all work by the same method. Cream in place of milk is richer. Any smoked sausage substitutes for rookworst.
Drink pairing ideas
A Dutch pilsner. Buttermilk, which is the traditional accompaniment to heavy potato dishes here. Jenever afterwards if it is very cold.
Serving and presentation ideas
Pile it on a plate, make a well in the centre, pour gravy into it and lay the sausage alongside. Mustard on the side. It is served hot and in quantity.
A bit of history
Stamppot is old, cheap and practical: one pot, one pan, a full meal. Hutspot is traditionally eaten on 3 October to mark the end of the Spanish siege of Leiden, when the townspeople supposedly found a pot of it left behind. It anchors Dutch cuisine through the winter.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Celeriac Stamppot
Celeriac stamppot is potato and celeriac boiled and mashed with butter and milk, served with sausage and gravy. Let the steam off before mashing, use a masher not a blender, and make a well for the gravy.
