Eat the Match: Netherlands vs Sweden

Stamppot and Gravad lax.

Group F · Houston · June 20, 2026 · Iris

Netherlands: Stamppot

Stamppot is Dutch peasant cooking at its best — mashed potato combined with another vegetable (most commonly kale, sauerkraut, or endive), served with rookworst (smoked sausage) embedded in the center and a pool of gravy. The combination is complete: starch, bitter vegetable, smoky meat, savory broth.

Ingredients

• 800g floury potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 300g curly kale, stems removed, leaves roughly shredded
• 50g butter
• 100ml hot milk
• 4 rookworst (Dutch smoked sausages — substitute kielbasa or bratwurst)
• nutmeg, salt, and white pepper
• beef gravy or pan drippings, to serve

Method

1. Boil potatoes until very tender. In the last 5 minutes, add the kale directly to the pot — it wilts into the water with the potatoes. Drain both together thoroughly.
2. Mash with butter and hot milk until smooth but with some texture. Season generously with salt, white pepper, and a few gratings of nutmeg.
3. Meanwhile, heat the rookworst — simmer in water 10 minutes or grill briefly. Push one sausage into the center of each serving of stamppot. Serve with gravy spooned over.

Sweden: Gravad lax with hovmästarsås

See Norway's gravlax recipe (Iraq vs Norway section above) for the cure. Hovmästarsås (maître d'hôtel sauce) is the Swedish accompaniment — a sweet-sharp dill mustard sauce. Serve sliced very thin over rye crispbread.