Stamppot Recipe with Kale and Smoked Sausage
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This stamppot recipe is made with potatoes mashed together with kale and served with smoked sausage. Known as boerenkool stamppot in the Netherlands, it’s a hot, filling dinner I like to prepare when I’m in the mood for Dutch comfort food.
I like mine with a little gravy and some crispy bacon, although the bacon is optional. Raisins are another addition I used to add, although I don’t think anyone except my Dutch ex-hubby had that variation. I’m quite happy to have ketchup on the side, even if that isn’t the most Dutch choice!
Stamppot at a Glance
Why You’ll Love It
- You cook the potatoes and kale together, so there’s no separate vegetable side to prepare.
- The mash is made without milk or cream, and you can leave it as chunky as you like.
- You can leave out the bacon, raisins and/or vinegar without changing the basic method.
Dutch Kale Stamppot Ingredients
The complete ingredients list and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes: Choose a variety you like for mashing, such as Yukon Gold or russet. I’ve also made this with Carisma potatoes. Weigh your potatoes after peeling and trimming them.
- Kale: Ready-to-cook chopped kale saves preparation. If you buy whole leaves, remove the tough stalks and chop the leaves before weighing them.
- Smoked sausage: Dutch rookworst is the classic choice. For this Dutch stamppot recipe, choose a fully cooked sausage and follow its package heating directions. Fully cooked kielbasa or frankfurters are alternatives if you can’t find rookworst. This is the one I used when I lived in the US.
- Butter and seasoning: Butter, salt and black pepper are all you need for the mash. Taste before adding much salt because the sausage, bacon and gravy may already be salty.
- Optional additions: I sometimes add soaked raisins and white vinegar to the mash for a touch of sweetness and a tang! Crispy bacon and prepared brown gravy are optional toppings.
How to Make Dutch Kale Stamppot
The full instructions with weights and measurements are in the recipe card below.
Simmer the potatoes and chopped kale together until the potatoes are tender. Prepare the optional bacon and heat the fully cooked sausage separately according to its package directions. Drain the vegetables well, mash them with butter and season to taste, then stir in the drained raisins if you’re adding them. Finish with the sliced sausage and any optional toppings.
Substitutions and Variations
- Other vegetables: Kale isn’t the only vegetable found in stamppot. Hutspot is made with potatoes, carrots and onions, and sauerkraut is another possibility. Those variations need their own cooking adjustments.
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian stamppot recipe, skip the bacon and choose a vegetarian sausage and meat-free gravy. Check the labels on both.
- Dairy-free: Use dairy-free butter and check the sausage and optional gravy for milk ingredients.
- Gluten-free: Check that the sausage and optional gravy are gluten-free. If you serve mustard or ketchup, check those labels too.
Handy Equipment for Kale Stamppot
- Large pot: Choose one with enough room for the potatoes, kale and cooking water.
- Potato masher: Mash by hand so you can stop at the texture you prefer.
- Colander: Drain the vegetables thoroughly, working in batches if needed.
- Skillet [frying pan]: You’ll need this if you’re adding bacon.
- Wooden spoon: Stir in the seasonings and optional raisins.
You’ll also need a knife and cutting board for preparation, plus a small bowl if you’re soaking raisins. The sausage package will tell you whether you need a separate saucepan or a microwave-safe dish for heating it.
Serving Boerenkool with Sausage
Spoon the mash onto warm plates and arrange the sliced sausage around it. If you’re having gravy, make a small well in the mash for it and scatter the optional bacon on top. Mustard is a familiar accompaniment, and I like ketchup too.
The listed sausage amount gives each person 2 ounces (57g), so the potatoes and kale account for most of the meal. If you prefer a larger meat portion, buy extra sausage. You can browse my other pork recipes for more dinner ideas.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Divide leftovers into shallow, covered containers and refrigerate promptly, within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze cooled portions in airtight containers for up to 3 months for best quality. Store any gravy separately if possible.
- Thaw and reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat the mash and sausage in the microwave or in a covered pan, stirring the mash and checking that everything reaches 165°F (74°C). Bring leftover gravy to a rolling boil.
- Make ahead: You can cook the dish the day before, refrigerate it promptly and reheat as above. Cook the optional bacon just before serving if you want it crisp.
Stamppot FAQs
The Dutch name refers to a mashed dish. Stamppot is made by mashing potatoes with veggies, and the vegetable can vary from one recipe to another.
Boerenkool means kale. Boerenkool stamppot is the kale variety of stamppot, so the two words aren’t interchangeable.
Cook the kale for this recipe. Simmering it with the potatoes softens the leaves before you mash the vegetables together.
Peeling gives the most even texture. You can leave the skins on well-scrubbed potatoes with delicate skins if you like a more rustic mash.
It depends on the ingredients and portion size. This dish contains potatoes and kale as well as butter and sausage. Bacon and gravy are optional, and leaving them out changes the fat and salt content. It isn’t a low-carb dish.
Stamppot Recipe with Kale and Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907g) potatoes for mashing, peeled and cut into evenly sized pieces, such as Yukon Gold
- 1 pound (454g) kale, weighed after removing tough stalks and chopping
- 1 ounce (28g) butter
- 1 ounce (28g) raisins, optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons white vinegar, optional
- 2 ounces (57g) bacon, chopped, optional
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 ounces (227g) fully cooked smoked sausage, such as rookworst
- ¼ cup (60ml) prepared brown gravy
- Mustard or ketchup
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large pot
- Potato masher
- Colander
- Wooden spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Skillet [frying pan], if adding bacon
- Small bowl, if adding raisins
- Saucepan or microwave-safe dish, as directed on the sausage package
- Microwave-safe container or small saucepan, if heating gravy
Method
- Put the potatoes and kale in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the vegetables by about 1 inch (2.5cm).
- If adding raisins, put them in a small bowl and cover with water. Leave them to soak as the vegetables cook.
- Bring the potatoes and kale to a boil. Add a little salt, reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender enough to mash easily.
- If adding bacon, fry it in a skillet until cooked and crisp. Drain off the fat and set the bacon aside.
- Heat the fully cooked sausage separately according to its package directions, timing it to finish with the mash. Follow the package instructions about removing or retaining any inner heating pouch. If adding gravy, heat it separately according to its package directions.
- Drain the potatoes and kale thoroughly in a colander, working in batches if needed. Return them to the pot and let excess steam escape briefly.
- Add the butter and mash by hand with a potato masher. If adding vinegar, stir in 2 tablespoons, then taste before adding the remaining tablespoon. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drain the raisins if using and stir them into the mash with a wooden spoon.
- Divide the mash among 4 warm plates. If adding gravy, make a small well in each serving and spoon the hot gravy into it.
- Slice the hot sausage and arrange it around the mash. Add the bacon if using and serve immediately with optional mustard or ketchup.
Notes
- Use a fully cooked sausage; smoked doesn’t always mean ready to eat.
- The sausage amount provides 2 ounces (57g) per person; feel free to add more if you want a larger meat portion.
Dutch Comfort Food for Cold Evenings
There’s a reason I like this Dutch dinner when the weather gets cold. I love a generous helping of buttery potato and kale mash with smoked sausage, and it doesn’t need elaborate seasoning to be delicious. It’s hearty home cooking of the sort I’m always happy to eat again.
Other Recipes to Try
- My Dutch slavink are meat rolls wrapped in bacon.
- You might also enjoy Dutch speklappen if you like pork belly.
- Sausage lovers will recognize the appeal of British bangers and mash.
- Crispy roasted potatoes with garlic are another potato side I enjoy.
- For a hearty stovetop dinner, my Irish lamb stew is worth trying.
- And you might like to find out more about life in Holland!
