This easy, traditional Dutch potato and kale recipe is usually served in winter smothered with brown gravy and topped with a meatball or a smoked sausage.
Equipment | Single burner (maybe another for gravy) |
Difficulty | Easy |
A very popular Dutch variation on mashed potatoes!
The usual meat product that goes on this dish is a type of smoked sausage called a rookworst, or sometimes a giant meatball. The Dutch like to use a single, very large, baseball-sized meatball in a lot of their dishes!
It's easy to substitute the traditional meat product for either vegan meatballs or vegan bratwurst (as seen above).
The traditional meatball is similar to a Swedish meatball, not an Italian meatball, so the vegan Swedish meatballs from Ikea are a great substitute! I've made it with generic fake meatballs too and it worked out fine. Bratwurst is not very similar to rookworst but vegan brats are easy to acquire and are tasty with vegan mashed potatoes recipes!
Important Dutch Mashed Potatoes Notes:
The amount of fat in this recipe is very important for the final creaminess.
Note about the gravy: (TL:DR Any brown gravy is fine.) The Dutch use a gravy for this dish that they call jus, which is not quite the same as au jus. While there is a common brand of mass-produced jus, asking around for traditional ideas has yielded extremely differing recipes. I have spoken to several Dutch people and looked in several cookbooks and their recipes are so significantly different that a generalization is hard to make except they are brown. So for now I recommend using any brown gravy of your choice!
Here are some ingredients I have heard mentioned added to the gravy: ketchup, English brown sauce, ketjap manis, onion, leek, garlic, tomato paste, mushroom powder, bell pepper, carrots, basil, cumin, coriander, apple juice, wine, port, mango chutney, milk, sour cream, or bacon bits. So anything goes, ha!
Substitutions?
Can I use some other kind of potato? You can if you can find another variety of very starchy potato. Red potatoes will not work, for example. They are too waxy and not starchy enough.
Can I omit the salt? You cannot omit the salt in the cooking phase, but you can omit the added salt later.
Can I use extra virgin olive oil? Absolutely. But the final product will taste strongly of olive oil. It is up to you whether or not that is the final product you are trying to make.
Let's Begin:
Gather the ingredients.
Peel all the potatoes and cut them into large chunks approximately 2 or 3 inches square. No need to be perfect. Put the potatoes into a large pot and add cold water until all the potatoes are covered by an inch of water. Add 1 tsp of the salt to the potato water. Bring the pot of potatoes to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes.
When the potatoes have boiled for 20 minutes add all of the 12 ounces of kale to the boiling pot.
Bring the pot back to a boil and boil for 10 more minutes.
After the potatoes and kale have finished boiling drain the whole thing into a colander set in your sink. Allow the potatoes and kale to drain and steam for 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are steaming return the empty pot to the burner and add the 1 cup of non dairy milk and the 1/2 cup of non-dairy butter or oil. Don't worry about cleaning the pot, it's fine. Turn the heat on low and warm the liquid. Be careful to just warm it, do not let it start to simmer.
After the milk and oil are warmed and the potatoes and kale have finished steaming, use tongs to pick up the potatoes and place them back into the pot as well as the last 1 tsp of salt. Leave the kale in the colander. It's no big deal if the potatoes are covered in kale, don't worry about cleaning them off, it won't hurt anything.
Mash the potatoes into the milk and oil, being very careful to not over-mash them. If you work them too much they will become gluey. Try to mash each potato just once. A ricer has better results, but without one I use a fork. I also like to mash up the sides of the pan so I can ensure everything gets mashed and also that I'm not repeatedly mashing the same parts.
If you used frozen kale it may have too much water in it and might water down your mixture. Try to use a large spoon or spatula to press the kale in the colander to try to remove as much extra water as possible.
Add the kale to the mashed potatoes.
Use a spoon to gently fold everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Top it with a protein and some brown gravy for a complete meal!
Enjoy!
How can I serve this mashed potatoes with kale recipe?
Obviously since this is a type of mashed potatoes it is tasty topped with gravy! It could also be a side with other vegan hearty "meaty" recipes such as;
Meatloaf
Meatballs
Stews
Salisbury steaks
Schnitzels
etc.
Storage.
This potato and kale recipe will last in the fridge 4-5 days. It also packs really nicely for lunch! But it is a little dense so it might take some time to reheat.
Can I freeze it? This makes a great freezer meal! Top it with a few meatballs and gravy in single-sized portions and save them for later. It is easier to let it thaw overnight before reheating.
Can I reheat it? Yes! A microwave is perfect!
Freezer ready!
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