If You Have Potatoes, Apples, And Onions, You Can Make A Simple German Comfort Meal

If you're throwing together a casual dinner based on whatever stray produce you have around, you might not think to combine potatoes and apples. But that's exactly what a comforting German classic called Himmel und Erde ("heaven and earth" in German) does. That name comes from the dish's two key ingredients: Potatoes were historically known as Erdäpfel or "earth apples" in Germany, making up the "earth" side of the equation, while by growing up high in trees, apples represent heaven (although Himmel can also be translated as sky).

The dish typically mixes the two together, creating an intriguing mix of earthy and starchy with a gentle sweetness from the apples. The way it's mixed varies: Some recipes suggest mixing apple pieces into mashed potatoes, others call for making an apple sauce on the side and adding it on top. The dish has been around since the 1700s, and is considered to have evolved out of rural cooking styles that turned pantry staples into meals. It's commonly associated with the Rhineland and Westphalia regions on the western edge of Germany. It's common in the city of Cologne, where it sometimes gets the dialect name "Himmel un Äd", and is a staple on traditional brewpub menus there, where it'll pair nicely with a local Kolsch beer.

For the basic Himmel und Erde recipe, you'll mostly need just apples, potatoes, and onions. The potatoes are boiled and mashed. Adding butter, milk, salt, and perhaps nutmeg are all good ideas to add some creaminess and flavor. Depending on your preference, you could boil the apples in with the potatoes (add them later as they don't need too much time) and mash them together. Otherwise, if you want to take the apple sauce route, chop them up and cook them down with a bit of lemon juice and sugar, and maybe cinnamon, then mix or spoon them onto the potatoes. Ideally, the potatoes and apples should have some chunks to give a rustic feel; don't purée them into paste. Then, add some crisp-fried onions, and you've got the basic dish.

Although Himmel und Erde is considered to have been created as an alternative to historically expensive, meaty recipes, it's now often served with some kind of meat. In Cologne, pan-fried blood sausage is often added on the side, and some recipes specifically call for black pudding, a type of blood sausage. You might also see liverwurst, regular old bratwurst, or black pudding. Sometimes, bacon or cubes of pork belly might get mixed into the dish for some extra richness, too. In any case, considering pork's popularity in Germany, it's hard to go wrong, so you could even add some baked ham or pork chops: That apple-potato base is mild and a good match for plenty of different roasted or fried meats.