DUTCH MASHED POTATOES WITH BUTTERMILK GRAVY

Dutch Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk Gravy image

In the Netherlands, this dish is called 'Foeksandijvie met karnemelkaus' (or simply foeksandijvie). It consists of creamy potatoes mashed with fresh escarole (broad-leaf endive). The crunch of the escarole is a nice contrast to the soft creaminess of the mashed potatoes. But it's the creamy gravy that gets a touch of saltiness...

Provided by Vickie Parks

Time 45m

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

6 large golden potatoes (i.e., yukon is a good variety) - about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds total)
water (for boiling)
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup warm milk (you might not need all of it)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 to 2 pkg ground nutmeg
2 cups escarole (or broad-leaf endive) - about 1 medium bunch
3 slice lean smoked bacon (or salt pork)
2 cups buttermilk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Steps:

1. MASHED POTATOES: Peel the potatoes and cut 1-inch chunks and place potato chunks in a large saucepan add just enough water to barely cover them the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt to the water, then lower the heat to medium and boil for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes, and return potatoes to the same pan. Add the butter to the pan, and mash the potatoes until smooth, adding a little bit of warm milk at a time if the mashed potatoes are too dry.
2. Wash the escarole, rinse and cut into 1/2-inch strips, leaving out the bottom part of the leaves (as the white vein tends to be hard and bitter). Stir the chopped escarole , 1/2 tsp sale and nutmeg into the mashed potatoes
3. BUTTERMILK GRAVY: Fry the pork (or bacon) in a skillet for about 5 or 6 minutes or until the pork is lightly crisp. Remove the pork (or bacon) from the pan. Add the flour to the pork fat and stir constantly until a smooth gravy forms. Slowly add the buttermilk while stirring, and keep stirring until the pan sauce thickens, then stir the cooked pork back into the pan sauce.
4. TO SERVE: Spoon the Buttermilk-Bacon Sauce over the foeksandijvie. Foeksandijvie can be served in two different ways. It can be served on individual plates with a little bit of the gravy poured on top of each serving. Or it can be served family style in which all of the foeksandijvie is placed in the center of a platter with all of the sauce poured on top, and then individual portions are then scooped from the platter.