Bare Bums in the Grass

Bare bottoms in the grass is a traditional Dutch mash made with potatoes, runner beans and white beans. The white beans represent the ‘bare bottoms’ among the green ‘grass’ of the runner beans.

Serves: 4 people
Preparation: approximately 20 minutes
Cooking time: approximately 25 minutes
Total time: approximately 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 kg floury potatoes
• 500 g runner beans
• 400 g cooked white beans, drained weight
• 200 ml whole milk
• 50 g butter
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 smoked sausage
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Prepare the potatoes
   Peel the potatoes and cut them into roughly equal-sized pieces. Rinse them briefly under cold water.
2. Cut the runner beans
   Trim the runner beans, remove the ends and any strings, and cut the beans diagonally into thin strips.
3. Drain the white beans
   Drain the white beans thoroughly. If necessary, rinse them briefly if the preserving liquid is very salty, then drain them thoroughly again.

Method

1. Cook the potatoes
   Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to just cover them. Add a little salt, bring to the boil and cook the potatoes for approximately 15–20 minutes until completely tender.
2. Cook the runner beans
   Meanwhile, bring a second saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the runner beans and cook them for approximately 6–8 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain them and leave them to drain thoroughly.
3. Heat the white beans
   Put the white beans in a small saucepan with a small splash of water. Heat them gently over low heat without stirring them until they break apart.
4. Heat the smoked sausage
   Heat the smoked sausage according to the instructions on the packaging and keep it warm until serving.
5. Heat the milk
   Heat the milk in a small saucepan until thoroughly warm, but do not let it boil.
6. Mash the potatoes
   Drain the cooked potatoes and allow them to steam dry briefly. Add the butter and mash the potatoes. Gradually add as much of the warm milk as needed to make a soft, creamy mash.
7. Season the mash
   Stir the mustard into the mash and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Combine the stamppot
   Fold the runner beans into the mashed potatoes first, followed carefully by the warm white beans. Mix only as much as necessary so that the white beans remain as whole and recognisable as possible.
9. Serve the stamppot
   Cut the smoked sausage into pieces or slices. Divide the stamppot between the plates and serve with the warm smoked sausage.