Apple and potato mash with golden onions

The Betuwe produces apples and pears, as Visit Nijmegen describes in its regional guide. That fruit is the starting point for our own variation. We do not present this mash as an exclusively Betuwe or inherited regional recipe.

Serves 4 as a side dish · Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 35 min

Times are guidelines. Any extra cooking or cooling time is explained in the steps; allow additional time to cool food before storing it.

Equipment

Large saucepan, frying pan and potato masher.

Ingredients

• 800 g floury potatoes, peeled weight
• 500 g firm sweet-tart apples, weighed peeled and cored
• 250 g onions, peeled weight
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 100 ml whole milk
• 1.5 l water for cooking
• 3 g salt
• 0.5 g ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the potatoes into 3 cm chunks, the apples into 2 cm chunks and the onions into half rings.
2. Put the potatoes, water and 2 g salt in the saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apples and cook for another 10–15 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potatoes.
3. Meanwhile, melt 20 g butter in the frying pan. Cook the onions over a moderate heat for 20–25 minutes. Stir regularly and lower the heat if the edges darken too much. Mix in the remaining 1 g salt.
4. Drain the potatoes and apples thoroughly. Let the steam escape over a low heat for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Warm the milk in a small saucepan.
5. Roughly mash the potatoes and apples with the remaining 10 g butter. Stir in the warm milk and pepper. Top with the fried onions and serve.

Storage

Cool leftovers in small, shallow containers within 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate at 4 °C. Eat within 2 days. Reheat only the portion you need, once, until steaming hot throughout.

Allergens

Milk.

Our own recipe, inspired by the fruit-growing Betuwe region.