Hete Bliksem

If you have spent a winter in the Netherlands it cannot have escaped your notice that the Dutch love their potatoes and that stampot is a Dutch staple winter food.  Stampot is a dish of mashed potatoes with for example kale (boerenkool stampot) or carrots and onions (hutspot) and is generally eaten with smoked sausage (rookworst).

The ones just mentioned are the most well -known, but there is also “Hete Bliksem”, literally “hot lightning”.  This is a surpising mix of potato (of course!) and apples and meat.  The name probably derives from the fact that it is very easy to burn the roof of your mouth on the dish, as the apples in the dish retain heat very well.  Another name for it is “Hemel en Aarde” (heaven and earth) referring to the apples picked out of the sky and the potatoes out of the earth.  There are many regional varieties and you can also make it as an oven dish.  Here I am showing the basic stove top method.

Times:
Preparation: 20-30 mins to peel and chop
Cook: around 20-30 mins
Additional: 5 minutes to put it together

Ingredients (for 4 generous portions):
2.5 kg potatoes
1 kg sour apples (e.g granny smith or goudreinetten)
750 g of sweet apples
2 large white onions
300 ml water
100 g of butter
Salt, cinnamon, nutmeg (optional)

Options for meat to add:
Mix in fried bacon or fried mince or:
Serve with black sausage/smoked sausage/brisket

 

Method:

Peel and dice the potatoes

Peel, core and dice the apples

Peel and chop the onions

Cook the potatoes, apples and onions together in the water until the potatoes are done.

Pour off the water, but keep it and add the butter to it.

Mash the cooked ingredients together.

Mix in as much of the cooking water/butter mix you like to make it nice and smooth.  Mix in the mince or bacon if you are using it and also any cinnamon, nutmeg or salt if you so wish.

Serve with meat if you like it or just as is.

Eet smakelijk!