This week it was extremely difficult to pick out one team from a group of absolutely gripping World Cup matches and competition for the Commie Chef Team Of The Week was intense. 

Several of the losing teams could have won it, including Chile, Nigeria, Algeria and the US. 

I like the US football team and also feel that football could be the thin edge of a civilising wedge, so I’m glad to see it taking off there. 

In the end, however, the award had to go to a winner and it goes to the team that beat them in a breathtaking encounter, Belgium. 

I have to admit that there’s a bit of bias in this. I love the country, where I lived for 12 years. 

I have a picture of their captain Vincent Kompany sitting on a motorcycle with my then three-year-old granddaughter — and I love stoemp. 

Pronounced “stoomp,” the dish is mashed potatoes with other vegetables added as well as butter and sometimes cheese. 

Forget that “French fries” nonsense, chips were invented in Brussels, proving that they know what to do with a spud. 

Serve it with anything you’d normally serve with mash. 

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs/660g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• ½ lb/220g courgettes, cubed quite small
• Bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 ozs/55g butter
• Chopped parsley (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

What to do

1. Steam or boil the potatoes until soft, then mash them with about two-thirds of the butter. 
2. Melt the rest of the butter in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a low heat and add the spring onion and courgettes. 
3. Cover and allow to cook quite gently in the butter until the courgettes are soft, turning every couple of minutes. 
4. If you’re using fresh parsley, add this and give the mixture an extra minute, stirring. 
5. Mash the results into the potatoes and, to make sure it’s even, give it a good stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, seasoning with the salt and pepper.