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Oma's German Heaven and Earth (Himmel und Erde)
by: Gerhild Fulson / Oma Gerhild shares German recipes rooted in family tradition.
Updated March 1, 2026
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Himmel und Erde, aka Heaven and Earth, combining apples and potatoes. DELICIOUS and SO German!Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth) is one of those wonderful German traditional recipes that goes so well as a main dish or a side. This is a mixture of mashed potatoes (from earth) and apples (from heaven).
Often this is served with sausage or pork, but goes well with almost anything, even by itself because the flavors blend together unusually well.
Himmel und Erde is usually covered with caramelized or crispy fried onions. Not only does it look great, but it tastes scrumptious.
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"Heaven and Earth" is one of those comfort foods. Even though I haven't made baby food for years, I can imagine this would be a favourite - minus the onions of course! And what child doesn't love mashed potatoes or applesauce?
Now, I have to admit my children missed out on this. This is something my Mutti never made and therefore I didn't know about it until I came across it in a German magazine. It sounded a bit strange, but I gave it a try nevertheless. Yummy!
Oma's Heaven and Earth (Himmel und Erde)
Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth) is a mixture of mashed potatoes (from earth) and apples (from heaven).
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
15 minutes
Total time:
30 minutes
Servings:
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound (454 grams) starchy potatoes
- 1 pound (454 grams) cooking apples
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) butter, divided
- freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1–2 onions, sliced
Instructions:
- Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Peel and thickly slice the apples.
- Cook the potatoes and apples in boiling salted water until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
- While the potatoes and apples are cooking, fry the onion slices in 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter until they’re nice and crispy.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of butter to the potatoes and apples and mash until smooth and creamy. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Spoon the fried onions over the mashed mixture and serve it as a main dish or as a hearty side for sausages or other meats.
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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com
Updated March 1, 2026
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to your table
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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.
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