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Overview

Stamppot

Stamppot, Boerenkool Stamppot, Dutch Kale Stamppot

This stamppot recipe boils floury potatoes with curly kale, mashes them with butter and warm milk into a soft, green-flecked mash, and serves it with a smoked rookworst sausage, crisp bacon bits and mustard. One serving is about 480 g.

Stamppot is the Netherlands’ one-pot winter dinner, and boerenkool — kale — is its most famous version. Farmers mashed whatever the garden gave with potatoes, and kale, which survives the Dutch winter in the fields, became the classic partner. It is still the dish the Dutch eat when the first frost comes, always with a rookworst on top.

Pairs well with: Smoked sausage, bacon bits & mustard

Provenance

Netherlands flag Netherlands

Dutch Heritage

Nordic & European

Time Dedication

45m

15m prep • 30m cook

Batch Yield

4 Servings

672 kcal per serving

1 serving ≈ 478 g

Technical Skill

Easy

Easy (One Pot)

Meal Timing & Digestive Fit

Breakfast

Not Advised

Lunch

Hearty Midday Main

Dinner

Ideal Hearty Main

Snack & Tea

Inappropriate

Occasions: Winter dinners, family meals, first-frost evenings, Dutch holidays Cost: Low — about $3–4 per serving at home
Tags: Pork Vegetables Savory Mild
A plate of green boerenkool stamppot with a smoked sausage and bacon bits

Dutch Heritage

Photo: M.Minderhoud, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Heritage Formulary

Measured Ingredients

Estimated cost: Low — about $3–4 per serving at home (USD)

Made the Dutch way: potatoes and kale boiled together, mashed rustic with butter and warm milk, served with rookworst, bacon bits and mustard.

Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique

Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Active 45m
P

Prep Stage: Peel, Strip & Dice

15 Mins • Chopping

Peel and chunk the potatoes, strip the kale leaves from their tough stems and chop them, and dice the bacon. The rookworst goes into the pot whole, so there is nothing else to prepare.

Maestro Tip: Strip the kale well — the stems stay tough even after boiling and make the mash stringy.

  1. 1

    Boil Potatoes & Kale

    25 Mins Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)

    Put the potatoes and kale in a large pot, cover with salted water and boil for about 25 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender.

    Starting in cold water lets the potatoes cook through evenly.

    Done when: Potatoes that fall apart when prodded with a fork.

  2. 2

    Heat the Sausage

    10 Mins Gentle simmer, 90°C (194°F)

    In the last 10 minutes, lay the rookworst on top of the potatoes and kale to heat through gently.

    Heating the sausage in the pot flavours the water and keeps the sausage juicy.

    Done when: A sausage hot right through.

  3. 3

    Fry the Bacon

    5 Mins Medium heat, 160°C (320°F)

    While the pot boils, fry the diced bacon in a dry pan until crisp, then lift it out and keep the fat for the mash if you like.

    A dry pan is enough — the bacon renders its own fat.

    Done when: Crisp, golden bacon bits.

  4. 4

    Mash with Butter & Milk

    5 Mins Room temperature

    Drain the potatoes and kale well, return them to the hot pot and mash with the butter and warm milk until soft and fluffy, with green flecks all through. Season with salt.

    Mash while hot — cold potatoes turn gluey.

    Done when: A soft, fluffy green mash.

  5. 5

    Slice the Sausage

    2 Mins Room temperature

    Lift out the rookworst and slice it into thick rounds.

    Thick slices, not thin ones, are the Dutch way.

    Done when: Thick, juicy sausage rounds.

  6. 6

    Serve

    3 Mins Hot

    Spoon the stamppot onto warm plates, lay the sausage slices on top, scatter with bacon bits and serve with mustard on the side.

    Make a little well in the mash for the mustard — it melts into the potatoes.

    Done when: A generous plate of green mash with sausage, bacon and mustard.

Finishing Touches & Plating

Serve the stamppot the moment it is mashed, steaming hot, with the sausage on top and the bacon still crisp — the mash should be soft enough to eat with a spoon, and the mustard is there to cut through the richness.

Nutritional Physiology & Benefits

Nutrition

Energy

672

kcal / serving

Protein

25g

Complete AA

Carbs

60g

Complex

Fats

38g

Healthy

Per serving (4 servings · 1 serving ≈ 478 g)
Energy672 kcal
Protein25 g
Carbohydrates60 g
Fat38 g
Fibre6.0 g
Sugar6.2 g
Sodium1568 mg
Per 100g
Energy140 kcal
Protein5.2 g
Carbohydrates12.5 g
Fat7.8 g
Fibre1.3 g
Sugar1.3 g
Sodium328 mg

Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Vitamins & minerals: Kale supplies vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K and folate, potatoes add potassium and vitamin B6, and the sausage adds protein and iron. All nutrition values are estimated.

Vitamin A & K from Kale

Kale is a strong source of vitamins A, C and K and folate, and it turns an ordinary mash into something genuinely nutritious.

Filling Winter Dinner

About 672 kcal a serving with 59.6 g of carbohydrate makes a dinner that fills you up on a cold evening.

Protein from Sausage & Bacon

The rookworst and bacon give about 24.7 g of protein per serving.

Food Pairings

What to Eat With

To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:

Sides

Rookworst

The smoky sausage is part of the dish — its fat and smoke flavour the whole plate.

Bacon Bits

Crisp bacon adds salt and crunch on top of the soft mash.

Sauces

Mustard

Sharp mustard cuts through the buttery mash and the fatty sausage.

Drinks

Cold Beer or Buttermilk

A cold Dutch beer or a glass of buttermilk is the traditional drink with stamppot.

Complete menu

Serve the stamppot hot with rookworst and mustard, a small pickled cucumber salad, and a cold beer.

Digestive Guardrails

What NOT to Combine

To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:

Extra Salty Sides

One serving already carries about 1,570 mg of sodium from the sausage, bacon and salt, so skip other very salty foods. This is general food information, not medical advice.

Mashing It Smooth

Stamppot should be rustic and a little rough, not whipped smooth like pomme puree — over-mashing makes it gluey. This is general food information, not medical advice.

General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.

Who Should Eat It

Who Should Eat

  • General adultsA hearty winter dinner — about 672 kcal a serving, best eaten hot.
  • ChildrenMild and soft; children usually like the sausage slices and the green mash once they try it.
  • ElderlySoft, warm and easy to chew; serve a smaller portion of sausage if salt is a concern.
  • Pregnant womenFine as a dinner; make sure the sausage is heated right through to 74°C (165°F). Ask your clinician about portions.
  • Breastfeeding womenA filling, energy-rich dinner; the potatoes and kale supply carbohydrate, potassium and folate.
  • AthletesA strong recovery meal — about 59.5 g of carbohydrate and 24.7 g of protein per serving.
  • Weight gainA good choice for adding energy: the full portion with butter and bacon is filling and calorie-dense.
  • Weight lossKeep to a smaller mound of mash with extra kale, and skip the bacon bits.

Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid

Conditions

  • DiabetesPotatoes are starchy, so keep the mound modest and load the plate with kale. Ask your clinician about portions.
  • High blood pressureThe sausage and bacon make this plate salty — eat it occasionally and in a modest portion. Ask your clinician.
  • Kidney diseaseHigh in sodium and potassium from the potatoes and kale; ask your clinician before eating it.
  • GoutCured meats are rich in purines, so keep the sausage portion small. Ask your clinician.
  • Stomach issuesKale can cause gas; eat slowly and in a modest portion if your stomach is sensitive. Ask your clinician.
  • Cardiovascular diseaseSausage and bacon add saturated fat and sodium — a modest portion now and then is wiser. Ask your clinician.
  • Fatty liverThe plate is rich; keep the portion modest and go easy on the butter. Ask your clinician.
  • Food allergiesContains pork and milk (butter). Naturally free of gluten and egg; check the sausage label for gluten.
  • Special therapeutic dietsNot suitable for low-sodium diets as written; a version with fresh pork sausage and no added salt is possible — ask your clinician or dietitian.

If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.

Storage & Use

Storage & Use

How to store
Cool quickly and store the mash and sausage in separate airtight containers.
In the fridge
Keeps 3 days in the fridge at 4°C (40°F) or below.
In the freezer
Up to 3 months; freeze the mash in portions.
How to reheat
Reheat the mash gently in a pan with a splash of milk, stirring, until steaming hot throughout, to 74°C (165°F); warm the sausage separately.
Freezing recommended
Yes — the mash freezes well.
Signs it has spoiled
Sour smell, slimy sausage, or a sharp off taste in the mash.

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