My recent trip to Belgium caused a strong craving for food based on potatoes, which I have been trying to deal with for the past week or so. Then I finally gave in today and cooked my first leek and carrot stoemp. It turned out quite delicious.
Here's what I cooked. The recipe serves two, possibly three if you add a third bratwurst and they're not too hungry.
- 500g potatoes, peeled & diced
- 1 large leek
- 3 carrots
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup milk
- salt
- pepper
- nutmeg
- 2 bratwursts (roast sausages, preferably of Belgian origin)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until they're soft.
While the potatoes are cooking, remove the hard outer leaves from the leek, rinse it well, then chop it. Grate the carrots.
Melt the butter in a pan, then add the leek and carrots. Simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat, make sure that they don't brown.
Add the chicken stock, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and roast the bratwursts.
Mash the potatoes or squeeze them through a potato press.
Drain the vegetables, but keep the liquid.
Put the liquid back in the pan, let boil over high heat until it has been reduced to about half.
Mix the potatoes and vegetables with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and slowly add the liquid from the pan to give the stoemp a softer texture.
Per plate, use half of the stoemp and one bratwurst. First put the stoemp on the plate, then the bratwurst on top of it.
Veggie option: Eat the stoemp without the bratwurst.
