Origin story:
This is great, I can teach you something about my own culture and history! In Leiden, it is tradition that on 3 October people celebrate ‘Leidens Ontzet’ with a plate of hutspot.
In the 80 years of war with Spain (1568-1648) the Spanish surrounded the city of Leiden for 4 months. In the night of 2th October the ‘Watergeuzen’ opened the dikes and flooded the land. The Spanish where forced to flee and Leiden was liberated on 3 October 1574.
In the camp of the Spanish a meal of mashed carrots, onions, parsnip and meat was found. This is how hutspot was born on the celebration day in Leiden on 3 October.
In the 19th century potato became very popular in the Netherlands and parsnip was swapped for potato.
Here is my personal version of hutspot! I Hope you enjoyed your cultural history lesson and that you enjoy this recipe.
Hutspot – 4 persons
Course: MainCuisine: DutchDifficulty: Easy20
minutes15
minutesIngredients
1kg potatoes
2 big onions
500 gram of winter carrots
1 Spanish pepper
150 grams small bacon strips
2 rookworsten (Dutch smoked sausage)
1 shallot
1 beef bouillon tablet
cognac
butter
flower
black pepper
salt
Directions
- Peel the potatoes and the carrots and wash them. Use a big cooking pan and add 1 liter water with the bouillon tablet. Cook the potatoes and carrots for 20 minutes. Cook another pan with water turn of the heat and add the rookworst for 20 minutes to heat it.
- Cut the onion in rings, mince the pepper. Take a big frying pan on low-med heat and fry the bacon add the onions and pepper. Caramelize the onions on and take of the fire. Scoop the ingredients in a bowl.
- Make the gravy from the bacon juice. Mince the shallot. Fry the shallot in the bacon fat on medium heat . Add 50 grams of butter and 2 teaspoons of flower and fry 1 minute until you have a nice brown colour. Take 100 ml of bouillon from your cooking pan and add it to the frying pan, now add a big zip of cognac (15ml or more whatever u like). Taste the gravy and season it to taste with black pepper and salt. If it is to thin add some more flower and stir.
- Stock the bouillon (never throw away good bouillion) and mash the potatoes, carrot, onion, bacon and Spanish pepper. Add some butter and season with salt and pepper. You are done, it is time to serve it the way you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tip: garnish with parsley
