Bubble and squeak is a British classic that has been around since the 18th century. It’s a dish that thrives off leftover vegetables and potatoes, and it never disappoints family or friends sitting around the table on boxing day. TV chef Jamie Oliver shared one of his favourite recipes.
In a video posted to his YouTube account, Jame took fans through each step to make Bubble and Squeak.
“I’ve got carrots here, you could you turnips, swede, parsnips,” he explained. “But there’s one rule, as long as half of it is potatoes – a nice Maris Piper or King Edward – then that’s what binds it all together and gives you that incredibly crispy outside.
“But pretty much any veg, including greens – spring greens, kale, Brussels sprouts – they can all go into a bubble and squeak.
“It all happens in a pan, a little bit of oil and a knob of butter – get that on medium to high heat.
“As that starts to bubble and melt, we’re going to go in with some herbs; sage, just a couple of leaves torn in, rosemary, thyme. You can do one herb or a mixture,” Jamie said.
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“I’ve got some chestnuts, just crack them in half. Let’s introduce some seasoning, salt and pepper.
“Next we add potatoes, these are leftover [cooked or roasted] potatoes, 500-600g into the pan. Just break them up with your hand and then 500-600g of [cooked] vegetables.
“Then any greens, chop them up, tear them up and add on top. Get yourself a masher and mash the veg up. As I do that, you can see the fluffiness of the potatoes, that’s a very important part,” the chef noted.
“Then tap it into place [using the masher], and that’s to make sure it has full contact with the side of the pan.
“I’m going to leave that for a couple of minutes to get golden and crispy. Then we’ll come back, mix it up so the outside goes into the inside, pat it back down again, and then, and then, and we’ll do this for about 20 minutes.
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“[After 20 minutes], you can see it’s shrunk, it’s now in the form of a large potato cake.”
To serve, Jamie suggests using a nice board or platter. Place it on top of the saucepan, turn both upside down and the Bubble and Squeak should come out.
“Look at it!” He exclaimed. “I’m going to take this into a brunch vibe, and I’m taking some eggs, a couple more sage leaves and crack the eggs into the frying pan.”
Once the eggs were cooked, he served the eggs on top of the Bubble and Squeak, with some watercress and a dollop of piccalilli to finish.
“Old school Bubble and Squeak!” Jamie revealed. “For me that has so many memories, I absolutely love it.”
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Ingredients:
olive oil
25g unsalted butter
Four sprigs of fresh woody herbs, such as rosemary, sage, thyme
500-600g leftover roast potatoes
500-600g leftover cooked veg, such as carrots, swede, turnips, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, kale
Leftover vac-packed chestnuts, optional
Eggs, watercress and piccalilli, optional
Method:
1. Put a 28cm non-stick frying pan on medium heat with the oil and the butter.
2. Add the fresh herbs and let them crisp up for a minute. Then add the potatoes, veg, and any leftover chestnuts. Nothing needs to be chopped as it will be mashed with a potato masher to create a nice, flat, even layer.
3. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for three to four minutes, or until a lovely golden crust starts forming on the bottom.
4. “Now we get into the rhythm of the secret to good bubble and squeak,” Jamie remarked. Fold the crispy edges back into the mash, then pat and flatten everything down again. Let it crisp up again, then repeat the process, and – importantly – keep repeating it over about 20 minutes, until it’s golden, super crispy and delicious.
5. You can serve this any which way you like – Jamie likes to make fried eggs cooked in sage, with watercress and a dollop of piccalilli. But you can also add a few slices of cooked ham in with the veg.