Stoemp! 2, 3, 4…
Back in April, my wife and I took a trip to Belgium. One last hurrah before the baby comes, knowwhatimean?
Anyway, we both had a great time. I drank a lot of good beer, we both consumed many amazingly good waffles.
One day, for lunch, we ended up in this place right on the Grand Place called “Cave du Roy.” In a place where every single restaurant was packed, we were the only people in Cave, the entrance of which was on a little stairway right next to a larger restaurant. I remember being really skeptical. Was the food really that bad? Was it all really horse meat? What don’t we know about this place?
Anyway, it was cozy, so we grabbed a seat. Both my wife and I ordered the Belgian traditional dish “stoemp.” I also ordered a Duvel. What a simple yet tasty dish. I don’t care if it was really horse meat (I don’t really think it was horse, the menu said bacon and sausage), it was very good.
A few months later, we looked up a recipe for stompe, made it, and then jotted down some changes so we could recreate our fantastic dish.
Here, my friends, is that dish:
Essentially, what we have here is mashed potatoes (with butter and heavy cream), sauteed shallots, bacon (Yum, I know, right?), parsley, and a sweet Italian sausage. Incredibly tasty and it went fantastic with the Rodenbach Grand Cru sitting there as well.
Is that my autosiphon and bottle brush in the background? Oops. I’m such a slob.
Try the Grand Cru, it was really good. Very tart with a distinct oak (it is oak aged) and sour cherry flavor. All in all, a fantastic meal.
Bye for now.
Edit: I forgot to mention the nutmeg in the stoemp. It’s gotta have nutmeg!
Edit2: The full recipe is in the comments.
Sounds good!
Don’t know if you know the place or not, but if you haven’t already, check out Spar’s over on Amherst street. They make the best sausage in the city.
They do Italian and Polish, both of which are good. The real highlights are their chorizo, hungarian and cajun (andouille). Seriously unreal stuff.
In addition to the home made fresh sausages, they have lots of smoked meats, deli stuff & some german groceries. They smoke their own bacon and they’ll cut it as thick as you want. Mmm. bacon.
They’re at 405 Amherst, between Wegmans and Grant st.
Cheers,
rudy
Hmm… I used to live over on Amherst and must have driven past that place 100 times and not noticed it. I’ll definitely have to check it out.
Thanks for the tip.
-Gavin
Hey….would you be willing to share that recipe for Stoemp?
I was in Brussells on business a few years ago and I am sure I ate in the same restaurant on the Grand Place. Low, curved natural plaster ceilings, a small bar on one wall, good crusty bread, reasonable prices and fantastic food. I went for the Flemish Beer Stew with the Stoemp on the side….it was great. I heartily recommend the place.
I’m glad someone else has had food from Cave du Roy. It really is a great place.
Here’s the recipe:
Serves 4
5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of heavy cream (or double cream if you can get it)
salt and pepper
3 pinches (or more) freshly grated nutmeg
2 medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 slices of bacon (optional, but recommended)
4 tablespoons finely minced parsley
In a large saucepan combine the potatoes, milk, 1 tablespoon of salt and enough cold water to just cover the potatoes.
Bring to a boil over a high heat.
Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Drain well.
Mash the potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Using a wooden spoon, beat in 4 tablespoons of the butter and the double cream.
Beat until the mixture is very light and fluffy.
Season generously with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.
Keep warm in an oven while you prepare the shallots.
If you’re using the bacon, cook that up now in a small skillet. Set aside to dry and leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease for the shallots.
If you’re not using bacon, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes until the shallots are softened and lightly caramelized.
Top the mashed potatoes with the shallots and sprinkle with parsley.
Serve immediately.
We actually took the recipe for Stoemp With Caramelized Shallots from http://www.belgourmet.be and modified it (added bacon, more shallot, parsley, nutmeg). It’s not as good as the stoemp at Cave, but it is still very good.
Enjoy!
Fantastic…..thanks for the recipe….Ill give it a try.