Here is my Belgian stoemp mash! Or in other words: a classic creamy savoy cabbage potato mash with pan fried sausage and a lovely beer and bacon onion sauce drizzled on top…
If I think of Belgian comfort winter food, that this is what I have in mind.
Perfect dinner on a cold autumn or winter’s day, this stoemp is like a hug from inside.
You will love this stoemp!
But have you actually heard of this dish before?
Belgian stoemp is not only a funny word to pronounce. It is the perfect cold day comfort food meal as well.
And do you know what exactly it means? b
Or where that funny sounding name even comes from?
Well I will tell you why.
Origin of Stoemp Belgium
In Belgium we have this Flemish verb ‘stampen’, stompen or ‘stoempen’ in our dialect which means ‘to mash or crush something up roughly’.
In this case right here, that means cooked potatoes and cabbage.
The Netherlands has a similar recipe by the name of stamppot. There they like to serve it with a Dutch smoked sausage that goes by the name of ‘rookworst’.
Stamppot kind of resembles another classic but it isn’t the same: Flemish hutsepot, mashed potatoes with a mix of different vegetables, often comes with chopped sausage bits in it. Stoemp normally contains only one type of vegetable.
Savoy cabbage stoemp is popular, one of our favorites here at home as well.
Best Belgian Stoemp
Yes, I love this classic vegetable mashed potatoes with savoy cabbage.
Other delicious versions are stoemp with super soft braised leeks, carrots, endives, onions or spinach together with a couple of pan fried pieces of meat on top.
That meat is usually some type of bacon, boiled pork meat, ham hock or a delicious pork sausage.
Do you love potato mash and soft vegetable dishes?
Then you should also check out that hotchpot recipe, also known as hutsepot!
Here is my very own personal Belgian vegetable stoemp mash recipe or stamppot: a creamy savoy cabbage potato mash with sausage and a lovely beer and bacon onion sauce drizzled on top…
Good old-fashioned Belgian comfort food for cold winter days.
Enjoy!
Best Flemish Vegetable Stoemp Recipe
My Flemish stoemp: creamy savoy cabbage potato mash with baked sausage and bacon... Good old-fashioned Belgian comfort food!
- 2 pork sausages or thick bacon slices (or both)
- 1 lb potatoes for mash (450 g), peeled and chopped
- 7 oz savoy cabbage (200 g)
- 3 medium garlic cloves chopped
- 1 handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 small onion peeled and sliced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup Belgian tripel beer (240 ml)
- ¼ cup whole milk (60 ml)
- nutmeg
- pepper
- salt
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1. Add the chopped potatoes and garlic to a high pan and fill it with tap water until the potatoes are fully submerged.
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2. Add some salt. Then place the pan over high heat and bring the potatoes to a boil. Cook them until tender. In the meantime rinse and drain the savoy cabbage. Slice it up finely.
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3. Add a tablespoon of butter to a large non-stick pan. Place it over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the savoy cabbage. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt.
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4. Stir fry the cabbage for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cabbage is soft and tender. Then turn the heat off and take the cabbage off the heat. In the meantime, pan fry the sausages (or sliced bacon if you are using both) in a non-stick pan in a tablespoon of butter or oil until golden brown and cooked through.
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5. Transfer the sausages (and bacon) to a plate and cover with a lid or tinfoil to keep the meat warm. In the same greasy pan, add the sliced onion and extra butter and cook it gently over medium heat for 10 minutes until softened. (I often add diced bacon as well, if I only serve the stoemp with sausages.)
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6. Then add the beer and turn the heat up. Let the beer reduce until you get a nice beer and onion sauce (you can add a little flour or sauce thickener if you like). Add the pan fried meat back to the pan and cover to keep warm.
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7. Drain the cooked potatoes and garlic, add them back to the pan you cooked them in together with the pan fried cabbage and chopped parsley. Sprinkle with some pepper, salt and nutmeg. Also add the milk and the rest of the unsalted butter.
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8. Mash the potatoes, parsley and cabbage up. Add extra butter or milk if necessary. Also check the seasoning and add extra pepper, nutmeg or salt to taste if necessary. Scoop the cabbage mash onto plates and top with the pan fried sausages (and bacon). Drizzle with the beer and onion sauce. Serve hot.
Stoemp with fish!
Some more subtle versions can contain fish instead of meat and then we are talking about (salt) cod, fresh salmon, skate wing or (smoked) haddock, preferably sprinkled with a good handful of brown shrimp.
Leeks, cauliflower, broccoli or green peas are usually added to the potato mash in combination with fish.
Whenever we have this vegetable potato mash for dinner here at home, a jar of strong mustard (or piccalilly pickles) is never far away.
It is a great sauce for those pan fried sausages and creamy mash.
Where can I eat stoemp in Brussels?
Do you want to try this classic mash while you are visiting Brussels?
Then I recommend that you go to a restaurant that is located right on the Grand Place, and it goes by the name of “‘t Kelderke“. That is also the place where you could find another delightful classic Belgian dish: veau en tortue or veal head stew – unfortunately it is not on the menu anymore.
Another place in Brussels that serves a Brussels stoemp is a popular café slash restaurant called “Le Corbeau”, near the Rue Neuve shopping street.
If you want to eat it in a very old artist café, then “Het Goudblommeke in Papier” (“La Fleur en Papier Doré” in French).
Serve with beer or wine?
So what is the best drink to go with this classic vegetable mashed potatoes?
To complete your homemade stoemp dinner, savor it with a glass of fine Belgian beer!
I will have to disappoint wine lovers, because with this classic mash I wouldn’t chose wine.
Instead I would go for a good old cold crisp pilsner beer, or a tripel style Belgian beer.
Bon appétit!
Thanks for this recipe, June! It sounds delish!
I wonder if you have a recipe for potatoes, cabbage and onion that has the word Boor in it–a farmer’s meal. I lived very briefly in Antwerpen in the mid 70’s and the family I stayed with made this traditional and delicious dish. I don’t recall any meat in it.
ALSO, they made what they called Brussels Lof with small endives wrapped in ham and Swiss cheese with a butter or white sauce over it–baked and yummy.
When I try to find it on the Internet it’s called something else.
Thanks! –Peg
I’m originally from Belgium(now in the US for 30 years) and our mother(like her mother before her) used kale(very finely chopped) and instead of bratwurst which I still like best with stoemp sometimes replaced that with smoked sausage and that is how they like it best in Holland.