Drinks advice

Sauerkraut stamppot with Bokma Oude Genever

On the plate is a stamppot of floury potato and sauerkraut, with fried bacon strips, cinnamon apple and roasted walnut folded through. Set against it is an old jenever whose character comes from added malt wine, and which catches the acidity of the cabbage without polishing it away.

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Sauerkraut stamppot
Photo: Frankfurter-rippchen-mit-kraut-kpl.001.jpg: Dontworry derivative work: Hic et nunc, CC BY-SA 3.0

From the shelf

The bottle

Bokma Oude Genever belongs to the Frisian brand Bokma, which began in 1826 with Bokma Oude Friesche Genever; in 1894 Pieter Bokma designed the square bottle that is still used today. The brand falls under Lucas Bols. It is an old jenever of 38% vol, in our shop in a 50 cl bottle. Its character comes from the added malt wine that Bokma distils itself. For the designation old jenever, at least 15% of the alcohol must come from malt wine and the jenever must be at least 35% vol.

Bokma Oude Genever

The combination

Why this works together

Sauerkraut brings lactic acid, and lactic acid is sharp but not harsh; it lingers on the tongue. It calls not for a neutral spirit, which would leave the acidity bare, but for a jenever with a solid share of malt wine. Malt is sweet like grain and round, and that roundness settles under the lactic acid without neutralising it. The fried bacon adds fat and salt, and the 38% alcohol of this genever clears that fat away, so the stamppot does not turn heavy. The cinnamon apple and the dark brown sugar in the recipe blend with the grain sweetness of the malt wine, and the roasted walnut picks up the dry, nutty finish of an old jenever. So acidity, fat and sweetness on the plate stand opposite malt, alcohol and spice in the glass, and the two keep each other in balance.

At the table

The dish

  • For 4 people
  • Ready in 30 minutes
  • Type main course

What you need

  • 1 kg floury potatoes
  • 520 g sauerkraut
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 eating apple, such as Jazz
  • 250 g smoked bacon strips
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 100 g unroasted walnuts
  • 15 g unsalted butter

How to make it

  1. Peel the potatoes, cut them into equal pieces and boil them for 20 minutes until cooked.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the sauerkraut in a saucepan over low heat for 10 minutes. Finely chop the red onion. Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and cut the apple into 1 cm cubes.
  3. Heat a frying pan without oil or butter over medium-high heat and render the bacon strips for 4 minutes. Add the onion and fry it along for 3 minutes, stirring. Add the apple, the cinnamon and the soft brown sugar and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.
  4. Toast the walnuts in a second dry frying pan for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Let them cool on a plate and chop them coarsely.
  5. Drain the potatoes and keep a cup of the cooking water. Add the butter and mash the potatoes; pour in cooking water until the stamppot is creamy. Fold in the sauerkraut and the bacon-apple mixture and sprinkle the walnuts over the top.

In the glass

Serving

Serve Bokma Oude Genever at room temperature in a tulip glass, filled to the brim. Old jenever should not be chilled; cold pushes the malt wine into the background, and that malt wine is exactly the counterweight to the lactic acid here. Put the bottle next to the pan and only top up the glasses once the plates have been served.

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