SmashI have a cousin who is Dutch. He is of a similar scattershot bent to food as I, except perhaps he approaches the subject, as he does most subjects, with a wild fearless abandon. He is a far stomp from us, and we do not speak often, but when we do it is often of food.
He has given me a recipe for a Dutch dish. I do not know either the English nor the Dutch name for the thing, only the description: A Bunch Of Stuff Smashed Up with Potato. As you may gather, I do not have much of a recipe, either, past the title. It lends itself well to cold days and the usual bag of trick, however, and this is how we do it.
Roast some squash in the oven. While that's going, cut up an onion or some and a carrot or some, and get them frying in a little bit of oil over high heat on top of the stove. While they brown, chop up a some of potato, peeling as you like. In keeping with the wisdom of keeping all the flavor in the pot, put the potato in on top of the onion and carrots, add perhaps half an inch of chicken stock, slam the lid on, and wait. When the potatoes are cooked, scrape the (now cooked and cooled) squash from the skin into the pot and smash everything together with a masher or a fork. We like the kind of masher that has a kind of squared serpentine mashing implement. Add some chopped parsley, or some nutmeg. Serve hot, and heaping.
I have found that the work of the group Asteria is lovely Sunday cooking music. They are on the MagnaTune label; highly, highly recommended.
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