Bubble & Squeak.
Bubble and squeak is a British dish traditionally made from leftover vegetables from the day before. The basic ingredients are typically mashed potatoes and cabbage, but it can include any vegetable really, as long as you have more mash to veg. The vegetables are mixed into the mashed potato and then pan fried, until a crispy crust forms on the bottom, then flipped over to do the same on the other. It’s a classic British dish, using left over food, reducing food waist, and can be eaten at any time of the day. If you are not overly keen on cabbage, then have it without.
Back in the 18th century it was a breakfast dish made from the leftovers of a Sunday roast, particularly the beef and cabbage, which were fried together until they bubbled and squeaked in the pan, giving it its name. The earliest I can find reference for is that of Maria Rundell’s cookbook from 1806, which suggests frying together cabbage and rare roast beef. But I think that the inclusion of mashed potatoes to make it go came later, probably as it bulked the dish out, and especially during the second world war as rationing meant meat was scarce, and hard to come by.
So, this is my version of the dish made into a meal, a Harty starter or brunch time dish.
You will need.
1 small onion finely diced,
Butter and oil, for frying
Two cabbage leaves, savoy cabbage is my favourite, but any will do,
500g or 1lg leftover mashed potato
12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
4 eggs.
Dice your onions up and add a little butter and oil to a frying pan. Then cook the onions off so they are soft. Shred the cabbage leaves and add them to the onions and let them wilt a little in the heat of the pan.
Now take your cold left-over mash potato, add that to the frying pan, and let it warm up. As it starts to warm through work the onions and the cabbage into the mash, so you get a good mixture. Now some people say you should let it get crispy on the outside and others say you should break that browned potato up and work that in to the mash. I do both, as soon as the mash gets a brown crust on it break it up and work it in to the mash. Do this about twice and then brown on both sides and the bubble and squeak is ready to eat.
While the mash is browning get 12 rashers of streaky bacon and start to grill them off, so they are nice and crispy. Then get a pan of hot water on ready to poach your eggs. If you are clever and are doing this for a lot of people, poach your eggs off before so all you have to do is drop the eggs into the water just to reheat.
So, to plate up place the bubble and squeak in the centre then arrange the bacon around or on top of the bubble and squeak. Finally top with a poached egg, so when you cut in to that the yolk becomes a sauce for the ‘potatoe’ goodness below. If you have no bacon or eggs just lay the bubble and squeak in a slice of buttered bread and have it like that.
Bubble and squeak is versatile, this version I used cabbage but you can use other greens like kale. You could add some mustard to the mash, cut the bacon up and cook it and combine in the mash. Form the potato in to a cake with a pastry cutter and place some cheese centre, try sweet potatoes, or the grandest and farthest remove for it humble origins , the mashed potato had fresh horseradish through it topped with wilted baby spinach , smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_and_squeak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_New_System_of_Domestic_Cookery.
