Apple Potato Mash (Hete bliksem)

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Apple Potato Mash (Hete bliksem) sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on Netherlands traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 53 minutes in a single soup pot, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 10 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. Clean and peel the potatoes and cut them into even size chunks. Boil them in salted water for about 10 min and then add the cleaned and chopped apples into the boiling water. Add the cinnamon stick as well. Leave to boil for another 10 minutes or until both apples and potatoes are to your liking. I like mine to be fairly chunky but that is a personal preference
2. Step 2. In the mean time bake the streaky bacon in a dry frying pan until crispy and set aside to drain on paper towels.
3. Step 3. Slice a few apple pieces and melt a little butter in a fryin pan. Add the apple slices to it and add a bit of maple syrup into the pan as well as some cinnamon. Let it simmer until the apple is soft.
4. Step 4. Prepare a plate with one whisked egg and one plate with sesame seeds. Cut your cheese into the required size. The smaller it is, the easier it is too handle.
5. Step 5. Dip the cheese into the egg and make sure it coats all sides. Then dip the cheese into the sesame seeds and make sure it is covered everywhere.
6. Step 6. Heat a non stick frying pan on high until nice and hot. Put the cheese slice in and bake until the sesame seeds are brown. You have to do this rather quickly or the cheese will melt completely. Turn and bake the other side.
7. Step 7. Drain the apples and potatoes and mash them together. Taste and add cinnamon and salt where needed. Remove the cinnamon stick before mashing

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest soup pot you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with netherlands roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 4-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Original recipe inspiration: source.