Hutspot met Wurst en Jus (Hotchpotch with Wurst and Gravy)

This is a simple yet hearty dish we had in Amsterdam.  Hutspot means hotchpoth in Dutch.  In English it is hodgepodge, which means mixture.  The vegetables reminded me of my Crock Pot Pot Roast veggies if I mixed them together. It’s a really great way to get those picky eaters (which includes myself) to eat the cooked carrots.  Onions disappear in the mash as well. 

I realized after make a plain beef broth gravy that it needed something more so I sprinkled in onion powder.  Much better! An even better flavor would be to use real onions, of course. The gravy is a brown onion gravy much like our jäger sauce we use for schnitzel.  Their sauce didn't have any onion bits to show so you would either want to blend it or strain the onions out.  Personally, I just leave them rather than go to extra work. You could use a brown gravy mix from a packet but it's so simple you can make it fresh.

I made these pork cheddar bratwurst myself in a cooking class with Steven from The Sausage Foundry of Cedar Rapids.   If you aren't game to make your own you can find many varieties to try at his shop at NewBo Market or buy your favorite from your local store or meat locker.

 Hutspot met Wurst en Jus (Hotchpotch with Wurst and Gravy) 

 Printable Recipe

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 pound carrots
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons of butter
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
5 bratwurst
Brown onion gravy (see Jäger sauce)

Peel carrots.  Cut potatoes and carrots into same size chunks. (If you use Russet potatoes you will need to peel them first.) Cut onion into rings and pull apart.  

Add to large pot with water to cover and some salt. Bring to boil and cook until veggies are soft.  The smaller your pieces are the faster they will cook.   Mine took 20 to 25 minutes.

If you wurst are already cooked you can add the wurst to the boiling veggies the last 10 minutes to heat up.  My wurst were raw so I had to cook and then grill them. 

Drain liquid off.  Add butter and splash of milk.  Smash with a potato masher, adding more milk as needed to have moist potatoes. I like mine with a bit of texture so I didn't smash them too much.  You could also use a hand mixer to mix them.

I made my gravy while the other parts of the dish were cooking.  As long as you keep it warm and stir it occasionally it shouldn’t clump up on you. Alternatively, you could make the gravy now and keep the hotchpotch warm.

Serve by piling hotchpotch to your plate, laying on hunks of your bratwurst and then ladling the gravy on top.  

The "Hutspot met Wurst en Jus" I had in Amsterdam on my European Carousel Trip.