Deer with celeriac mash & endives

For ➍
600 g deer fillets
20 g butter
8 stalks witloof, cleaned
1 celeriac, cut into chunks
200 g potatoes, cut into chunks (or about the same weight as the cleaned celeriac.)
sauce chasseur

Prepare the sauce chasseur without the adding of gravy or wine. Set aside.
Cook the potatoes and celeriac for 20 m. When cooked, add 1 tbs of butter. Make a mash. Set aside.
Brown the deer fillets for 20 m in a stove-top pan with some butter on high fire. Reduce fire, cover the pan, and bake for 20-25 m. Cover and let rest for 15 m.
Add gravy and wine to the sauce. Set aside.
Meanwhile, braise the endives with a little butter for 5-10 m. Keep warm.
Reheat the mash just before serving.
Cut the meat. Serve the meat with the sauce, the mash and endives.

Cannellini soup with garlic & parsley

For ➍-➏
8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 ts chopped garlic
350 g cooked cannellini or other white beans, from dried beans (recommended)*
salt & black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
25 cl homemade beef stock or water**
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)

Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until is becomes colored a very pale gold. Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 m.
Take about 100 g of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth.
Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 m, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley, and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls.

*cannellini bean = white kidney bean = fazolia bean
For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 h. Drain and rinse, then put them in a large pan, cover with 5 cm of cold water, bring to the boil, scoop off any foam, then boil for a further 10 m. Scoop the foam off again, then add just a little salt (too much salt before they're cooked will harden the skin, as will anything acidic like lemon juice or tomatoes), and simmer gently with the pan lid half on for 1 to 1.5 h, until tender. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more if necessary.
**Use a little less water or broth (5 cl) and oil (2 tbs) to make a thicker mash that can be served as a side dish with roast white fish, spicy chorizo and grilled scallop, or spread on thick bread.

Cod & fennel mash

For ➍
650 g mushy potatoes, peeled, cubed
1 nut butter
4 tbs dry white wine
a few sprigs fresh thyme
600 g cod fillet
1 clove garlic, crushed
5 cl milk
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
salt & pepper
3 tomatoes, peeled & seeded, cubed

Put the potatoes and fennel in a pan. Add the crushed garlic clove, put under cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 m.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the oven plate. Take 4 large rectangles of aluminum foil or parchment paper and fold them in 2 to get 4 squares. Put in the center of each square a portion of cod and 1 tbs wine, season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Close the papillote and bake for 15 m.
Drain the cooked potatoes and fennel. 
Heat milk and butter in the pan, add the tomatoes, potatoes and fennel. Mash everything with the pestle and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the fish from the papillote and serve with mashed potatoes. Decorate with green fennel herb. *Alternatively put the fish parcels in microwave. For about 5 m.

Skordalia (Greek potato mash)

For ➍
500 g floury potatoes, washed but not peeled
2 cloves of garlic
14 cl olive oil (1 cl extra for serving)
juice of a small lemon
salt & pepper
80 g finely crushed toasted flaked almonds or walnuts to sprinkle on top or some olives

Boil the potatoes with their skins on in plenty of salted water. Once cooked, drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel them from their skin.
Crush the garlic with a pinch of salt into a paste. Push the potatoes through a sieve, mouli or a potato ricer and add the garlic paste. [Skordalia must be absolutely smooth – use a potato ricer to mash the potatoes or push the cooked potato through a sieve with the back of a spoon.]
Beat in the oil and lemon juice into the potato mix. Check the mix for salt and pepper.
If the skordalia is a bit too thick (it should be the consistency of hummus) thin with a bit of hot water.
If using the nuts, spread the skordalia onto a plate or bowl and sprinkle the nuts on top.
Add the extra trickle of olive oil to serve.
Serve with grilled meats. or as dip sauce. Or as a spread on fresh bread.

Stoemp aux carottes (mashed potatoes & carrots)

For ➍
600 g potatoes, cut into chunks
2 onions, chopped
6 carrots, chopped
2 dl cream
a knob of butter
salt & pepper
nutmeg

Cook the potatoes cut into pieces with chopped carrots and onions in a large pot with salted water.
Cook 20 to 25 m.
Mash potatoes with carrots and onion with a fork.
Add salt and pepper, sprinkle a little nutmeg, add a knob of butter, cream.
Reheat quickly.
Serve f.i. with braised chicken with gueuze.

Rapenstoemp met kotelet (Turnip mash with pork chops)

For ➍
1 kg of potatoes
1 bunch turnips
2 dl cream
3 sprigs thyme
nutmeg
4 pork chops, at room temperature
butter
salt & pepper
vinegar

Peel the potatoes and turnips and cut them into 2 cm chunks. Boil the potatoes and turnips together in lightly salted water for 10m*. Drain and keep some of the cooking liquid. Add this to the vegetables, along with cream and thyme. Crush to a coarse mash. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar.
Heat the skillet. Melt the butter. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Fry the chops in butter on a fairly high heat until brown. Lower the heat and cook for 3-5 m per side. Remove from the skillet when they are just tender. Cover with foil and let them rest for 5-10 m.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

*Or prepare the turnips seperately: cut into small dice; melt some butter; add the turnips, salt and peper and sauté on high heat for 5 m; turn down the heat; add the cream and cook on low heat for 10 m; mash and adjust taste; mix with mashed potatoes if wanted.

Parsnip mash

For ➍
500 g potatoes
500 g parsnips
40 g butter
2 tbs cream

Put the potatoes and parsnips into separate pans of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 m or until tender. Drain well.

Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a clean pan, or mash until smooth. Put the parsnips into a food processor with the butter and cream and blend until smooth. Stir into the mashed potatoes, season to taste.

*Serve with roast meat like guinea fowl.

The parsnip ('pastinaca sativa') is a root vegetable related to the carrot. The parsnip originates in the Mediterranean region and originally was the size of a baby carrot when fully grown. When the Roman Empire expanded north, the Romans brought the parsnip with them. They found that the parsnip grew bigger the farther north they went. The parsnip and other root vegetables remained regular food in Europe until the arrival of the (American) potato.
Read tip on cooking parsnips.

Stamppot van peterselie & prei (parsley & leeks mash with chorizo ​​& poached egg)

For ➍
400 g mushy potatoes
150 g chorizo ​​sausage
1 dash white wine vinegar
4 fresh eggs
½ leek
½ bundle of parsley
20 cl warm milk
30 g butter
pepper, salt, nutmeg

Peel the potatoes, boil until tender in salt water.
Cut chorizo ​​into small cubes and fry in a pan. Place on paper towels.
Bring a pan of water to a boil. Add the vinegar. Break an egg into a ladle. Put the spoon in boiling water and turn the spoon gently so the egg floats in water. Poach for 3 m and remove with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towels. Poach the other eggs.
Cut leek into rounds. Wash and chop the parsley.
Cook the leek with the potatoes for 5 m. Pour away the water. Add milk, butter, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Mash. Add chorizo ​​and parsley, stir.
Put mash in round forms, put on a plate, remove the forms. Put the poached egg on the stew. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Preistoemp met kabeljauw (leek mash with baked cod)

For ➍
4 pieces cod fillet
100 g shrimps* (optional)
mash:
4 stalks leek
1 kg potatoes (f.i. Bintje)
1 25 cl bottle white beer
1 large onion
a few bay leaves
few sprigs fresh thyme
sauce:
150 g fresh butter, ice-cold
pepper & salt
1 shallot
1 25 cl bottle white beer
a dash of cream
juice of ½ lemon

Peel the potatoes. Boil them in salted water.
Cut the onion. Saute in a covered pot with a knob of butter, without browning.
Cut the leek stalks into small pieces. Add to the pot with onions.
Make a bouquet garni: tie some bay leaves and some thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine. Add to the onion and leek mix.
Pour 25 cl beer in the pot. Let it simmer for 15 m on low heat.
Remove the bouquet garni from the pot with braised leeks. Drain the cooked potatoes and stir in vegetable mixture. Respect a mixture of ⅔ vegetables and ⅓ potatoes for a smooth mash. Add pepper and salt.
Meanwhile prepare a beurre blanc butter sauce**. Chop the shallot finely. Place a small saucepan over a medium heat. Cover the bottom with white beer. Add the shallot and a dash of lemon juice. Let the beer boil briefly.
Cut the refrigerator cold butter cut into cubes. Add a dash of cream to the pan and let the sauce reduce until ⅓ of the volume. Pour the sauce through a sieve been cooked so that the shallot pieces can be removed. Add them to the pot with leeks. Over low heat, whisk the sauce, gradually add the cold butter lumps. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Melt a knob of butter in an ovenproof pan over medium heat. Season the fish with some pepper and a pinch of salt. Fry the pieces of cod on both sides, so they get a golden crust.
Spoon a little bit of the drippings over the fish. When the fish is colored, put the pan in the preheated oven.
Let the cod cook for 7 m. Spoon some dripping between the pieces.
Serve each piece of cod with a portion of mash. Spoon some of the butter sauce over. white beer.
Add a serving of hand-peeled shrimps.*

*Optional.

**Or make a simple melted butter sauce with shallot and butter.

Try a leek mash with salmon and shrimps.

Red mullet with pesto potato mash

For ➍
fresh pesto
1 kg potatoes
500 g red mullet fillets with skin (or another white fish)
olive oil
pepper & salt

milk*

Boil the potatoes in salted water (20 m).

Puree the cooked potatoes into smooth mash.

Put the potatoes in a pot. Add the pesto to it. Mix everything together into a smooth puree. (Add some milk to smooth)*. Season. Keep warm.

Heat a skillet. Heat a little olive oil.

Remove bones from fish. Make diagonal cuts in the skins.

Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Put the fish in the pan with the skin side down. Fry 5 m over medium-high heat. Turn the fillets over. Fry for 5 - 10 s.

Serve the fillets with a scoop of pesto potato mash and a bunch of baked cherry tomatoes. Scoop a spoonful of the tomato baking juices (without the herbs) over the fish.

*Optional.

Preistoemp met zalm & garnalen (leek mash with salmon & shrimps)

For ➍
4 salmon fillets 150 g
100 g North Sea shrimps
4 stalks leek (white only), minced & washed under streaming water
100 g butter*
400 g potatoes, peeled
nutmeg
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 160°C.

Blanche the leeks in boiling water for 1 m. Put into cold water. Drain the leeks.*

Cut the potatoes in 4. Boil them in salted water for 15-20 m. Drain. Mash the potatoes. Add a knob of butter. Add nutmeg, salt & pepper. Add the leeks. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, slowly cook the salmon fillets in the oven for 20 m in a buttered pan.

When ready, put leek mash on a plate, add a fillet, and sprinkle some shrimps on the mash.

*Alternatively, bake the leeks in some hot butter. Add less butter to the mash.

Try a leek mash with cod.

Rodekoolstoemp met worst (Flemish red cabbage mash & sausage)

For ➍
4 coarse pork sausages*
butter
½ red cabbage
2 Jonagold apples, peeled & cubed
100 g/2 tbs sugar (or 2 tbs red currant jelly)
2 tbs vinegar
4 tbs water
cinnamon
laurel
pepper & salt

Discard white heart and outer leaves of the cabbage.

Julienne the cabbage. Rinse with cold water.

Melt butter in pot. Add the sliced cabbage.

Moisten with water and vinegar. Add salt, pepper and a leave of laurel.

Simmer for 30 m. Add cubed apples. Cover and simmer for another 10 m.**

Meanwhile start baking the sausages in some butter on medium heat, without pricking the skin.

Remove the laurel. Thicken the cabbage with sugar or red fruit jam. Simmer uncovered for some m allowing the liquid to evaporate.

Add cinnamon.

Serve with boiled or steamed potatoes***.

*Use coarse pork meat sausages, or black paunches/boudins. Alternatively, serve with baked or grilled meat balls.
**Enhance the taste by sautéing some onions before adding the cabbage to the pan.
Winter cabbage will take about 1 h in total, summer cabbage 30 m.
***You could mix the potatoes and cabbage into a stoemp ('stamppot' in official Dutch), a typical Belgian and Dutch way of mashing potatoes with winter vegetables.

Stoemp à l'oseille (Brussels sorrel mash)

For ➋
100 g fresh sorrel*
300 g potatoes
30 g soft butter
salt & fresh black pepper

Peel potatoes, cut into small pieces, put in a large baking tray. Cover with water. Add salt and 30 g of butter. Cook for 10 m on medium fire.

Clean sorrel. Add to the potatoes. Crush the mixture with a fork. Add salt and pepper, mix well.

Serve with Brussels beef with gueuze, grilled chicken or meat.

*Use good quality sorel in glass bowl or tinned instead. Adjust seasoning.

Kerremelksmeus (buttermilk mashed potatoes with shrimps)

For ➊
2 large potatoes
2 tbs buttermilk
1 fresh egg
50 g cooked North Sea shrimps*
some butter

Cook a few large potatoes, mash them and mix in the buttermilk (about 1 tbs per potato, depending how moist you want the mash to be).
Meanwhile, poach the egg(s).
Heat shrimps in a little butter. Save the butter.
Put the mashed potatoes on a plate. Dig a little hole on top and drip in the shrimp butter, then slide in the poached egg. Shower with shrimps.
Serve with a sour beer like Belgian Rodenbach, or a dry white wine.
Alternatively, try North sea shrimps with mashed potatoes and white shallots sauce.

*These should be the small grey variety. Not sure if this works well with pink shrimps or prawns. You can replace the shrimps with shredded cooked or baked white fish filets or make a mix of both.

The Flemish name is kerremelksmeus in coastal region dialect, smeus meaning mash.
Try a summery variation with sour cream, basil and tomatoes.