What we ate yesterday (and today)*

Sauerkraut casserole/zuurkool stamppot

1 kilo potatoes
milk
butter

500 gr sauerkraut (bagged, not canned, if you can get it)
1 tsp. mustard (2 is also good)
1 T. vinegar (I use white balsamico)
1 clove of garlic (I always use three, because hey, garlic. Yum.)
1/2 tsp. curry (1 tsp. is better)
1/2 tsp. thyme

thick cut of bacon, sliced into little pieces (or leftover ham, or sausages)

1. Wash the sauerkraut in a colander. Really well. Wash all that krautiness out and let it drain for a few minutes. Then put it in a pan with the mustard, vinegar, garlic cloves, curry and thyme. Mix it up a bit and let it simmer/warm up/steam on the lowest heat you can manage. For at least 30 minutes.

2. While that's cooking, you can peel, cook (about 20 minutes) and mash the potatoes with the milk and butter. I make more than a kilo, probably closer to 1.5 kilos.

3. Fry the bacon/ham/whatever up and let it drain.

When the sauerkraut's really well steamed, mix it up with the mashed potatoes (I like to mash it all together so that the garlic cloves also get spread around.) Garnish with bacon and let the whole thing get crispy in the oven for a few minutes.

Lekker with cucumber salad (cucumbers sliced wafer thin with a cheese slicer thingy -- Jesus my English is getting bad -- and layered with a few tsp. of sugar, white vinegar and lots of white pepper.) Or just a regular winter salad.

Also, after you've put the sauerkraut on, and suddenly realize you don't have any applesauce in house and your kids won't eat this without applesauce just peel and slice a few apples, cover with water to cook for about 15 minutes and then throw whatever sugar's in the sugarpot in the pan, stir well and add generous amounts of cinnamon. Voila applesauce. Set outside to cool before you begin the potatoes. Cover well so that your cats don't decide to "help" with stirring.

Sleep with the windows open.

*Because all of a sudden it's fall here and this is the ultimate Dutch fall dish. I googled the recipe -- it's one of the first results, 'cause I'm lazy like that -- and it's been a favorite ever since. Also it's easier to write up a recipe than a regular post and it's already way past my bedtime.