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Hutspot
Leidse hutspot: coarse carrot, onion and potato mash for 3 October
Every year on 3 October the city of Leiden celebrates Leidens Ontzet, the end of the Spanish siege of 1574, and the whole town eats hutspot. The story goes that a hungry boy found a pot of stewed root vegetables left behind in the abandoned Spanish camp. Today it is a rough, orange mash of winter carrots, onions and potatoes boiled together in one pot, then stamped coarsely with butter. In the rest of the Netherlands it turns up all autumn and winter as a weekday supper. It is traditionally served with slow-braised beef (klapstuk); here it goes with a fried egg or a spoon of piccalilli, which suits it just as well. Chef's tip: layer the vegetables with the potatoes on top and the carrots at the bottom, in just enough water to reach the potatoes; the potatoes steam, the carrots soak up the flavour of the onions, and nothing turns watery.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 ⅔ lb winter carrots in the bottom of a large heavy pan, scatter 3 onions over them and pile 2 lb potatoes on top. Pour in 1 ¾ cups water and sprinkle over 1 ½ tsp salt.
Step 2: Cover with a tight lid and bring to the boil over a high heat, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook for 25–30 minutes, until the potatoes are falling apart at the edges and the carrots crush easily against the side of the pan.
28 minStep 3: Check after 15 minutes: you should hear a gentle bubble. If the pan sounds dry or smells toasty, add a splash of water.
Step 4: Drain off any liquid that remains and keep it in a cup. Add 1 ¾ oz butter and ¼ cup whole milk to the pan.
Step 5: Mash with a hand masher, not a blender. Hutspot should be coarse, with small pieces of carrot still visible. Over-mashing with a stick blender is the usual mistake: it turns the potatoes gluey. Loosen with a spoonful of the cooking liquid if it is stiff.
Step 6: Season with ½ tsp black pepper and taste for salt. Serve hot, scattered with 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, with a fried 4 eggs on each plate if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hutspot take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of winter carrots?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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