Leftovers recipe – Bubble and Squeak

Over the festive period I was having a dinner party conversation with my neighbours about Christmas dinners and leftovers, and remarked that the best thing about the festive meal was the stacks of leftover veg that would feed us for days when turned into bubble and squeak – that much neglected, but delicious, traditional British dish.  A heated debate then ensued regarding what should go into a trad B&S.  With me favouring absolutely anything that is left from the veggie section of the meal, and my neighbour – a head chef at an establishment in Chelsea – adamant that it should only be potato and spinach!?  I’d obviously had a little too much to drink at that stage as I, rather rashly, agreed to a ’Bubble off’ contest with him!  Me, an amateur cook, going head to head with a professional chef – a little foolhardy really, with hindsight.

The ‘Bubble off’ has not happened yet – we are both practising our respective dishes – but I hope I have a glimmer of a chance with the exoticness of mine compared to the pared back version from the Chef. 

Anyway, I thought I’d share my recipe, in the hope that it will helpsave any leftover veggies being scraped into household bins across Britain.

The ‘Anything Goes’ Bubble and Squeak recipe                                                                                                                                         

Ingredients

  • Crisp roast potatoes (cooked with rosemary and garlic)
  • Carrots (if cooked in olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley all the better)
  • Brussels Sprouts (done with chestnuts and mushrooms)
  • Parsnips
  • Eggs for binding (the number will depend on quantity of leftovers)

Added extras if you’ve got them:

  • Roasted Chestnuts (mine are in with the sprouts)
  • Asparagus (white or green)
  • Chestnut mushrooms (again in with Sprouts)
  • Roasted garlic (taken from the roasties baking tin)
  • Broccoli

Method:

  • Put all veggies together in a mixing bowl and chop into small pieces
  • Use a masher if you want a finer consistency
  • Once mixed add either one egg or two to get the mixture to bind well.
  • Salt and pepper the mixture
  • Flour a board and create palm sized patties and coat in fine layer of flour
  • Heat a big frying pan with either butter or olive oil and then add the patties and squeeze them down a little
  • Cook at a medium heat until well browned

Serve with baked beans, butter fried egg with browned edges and fried mushrooms and, to finish, lashing of tomato ketchup – delicious.