Hutspot met Gehaktballen (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Meatballs) #eattheworld

Welcome to our September 2020 post for the Eat the World project, led by Evelyne of CulturEatz. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

This month we are visiting the country of the Netherlands or Holland - close your eyes and picture gorgeous tulip fields bursting with color, picturesque windmills running through green fields, wooden shoes, and ohhhhh some good food! Stroopwafels come to mind when thinking about food that the Netherlands are known for - but I was looking for something in the savory arena that I could serve for dinner. 

This recipe was really tasty - the Hutspot traditionally has a high ratio of onion to the potatoes and carrots, but I opted to use a much smaller quantity so my family would eat the dish, though I'd love to make this again with the full amount out of curiosity on how it might impact the flavor. The large, tender meatballs are delicious! They are very flavorful and have a lovely crisped outside and super tender interior. The "sauce" is really lightly seasoned broth to add a little extra beefy flavor and moisture to the dish.

Come see all of our Dutch recipes this month:

Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Memories of Holland, Dutch Traditions, and Sailboat Speculaas
Pandemonium Noshery: Mosterdsoep - Dutch Mustard Soup
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep)
Sugarlovespices: Dutch Apple Tart, Hollandse Appeltaart
Making Miracles: Hutspot met Gehaktballen (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Meatballs)
Sneha’s Recipe: A Small Batch Bitterballen
Chef Mireille: Ontbijtkoek - Dutch Spice Cake
Kitchen Frau: Boerenkool Stamppot (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Kale with Sausage and Pears)
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Hachee

Hutspot met Gehaktballen (Dutch Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Meatballs)

Ingredients

Gehaktballen
2 slices white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup minced onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (I used a spicy brown mustard)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups beef stock

Hutspot
5 large potatoes (Russet) peeled and cut into large chunks
6 large carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
1/2 medium onion, diced small (up to 2 whole onions, if you want to keep the recipe closer to traditional)
Water to cover
1/2 cup milk, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 TBS butter

Directions

1. Soak the bread in the milk. Squeeze the bread and leave excess milk in the bowl (you can save this and use as your 1/2 cup milk to stir into the Hutspot later).
2. Add ground beef, minced onion, egg, mustard, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to the soaked bread and combine by hand, or stir, until meat mixture is evenly combined.
3. Form into about 4-5 large meatballs, and roll each gently in the flour.
4. In a large nonstick skillet, melt the 4 TBS butter, and saute the meatballs on each side until lightly browned. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Flip them, and cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Add in the 1/2 cup of water and simmer another 20 minutes covered.
5. Remove the meatballs to a plate, and pour the beef stock into the skillet, whisking to get any browned bits off the sides / bottom of the skillet. Season broth to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the hutspot by adding the chunks of potato, carrots, and onion to a large pot; cover them with water. Cover with a lid, and place on high heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are fork tender.
7. Save about 1 cup of the liquid, and drain off the rest.
8. Mash everything by hand, or in your mixer if preferred, adding in the butter, milk, and cooking liquid as needed / desired to obtain your preferred texture (I mashed by hand, leaving it a little bit "chunky"). Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve with a scoop of the Hutspot on the plate or in a bowl, one of the Gehaktballen on top, and a drizzle of seasoned broth over both.

Recipe from Tara's Multicultural Table