Bubble and Squeak (English)

Bubble and squeak might sound like an unusual name for a meal, but this traditional British dish is so easy, comforting and delicious, you'll soon forgive the name. Plus it's the perfect recipe to use up leftover vegetables. British cooking has its fair share of strange-sounding names for foods: spotted dick, toad in the hole, and Yorkshire pudding (which is savoury) among them. If you haven't come across bubble and squeak before now, then it's another to add to the list. And another that you need to try. The origins of the name are unclear, and the ingredients of this dish can vary a lot as well. Some believe the name "bubble and squeak" comes from the bubbling up and noise as the vegetables are cooking over the fire. What is clear is that this dish is fried leftover vegetables. It is a typical way of using the leftovers after a traditional Sunday roast dinner or Christmas dinner. Since both of these meals would pretty much always include potatoes, that's the one ingredient that is always consistent in bubble and squeak. Mashed potato acts as the 'glue' for the other ingredients, which can be cooked cabbage, Brussels sprouts or sometimes carrots and/or peas. Many versions add some meat as well, whether that's leftover roast or some bacon cooked in the pan before you add the rest of the ingredients. There are, of course, many ways to use leftover vegetables, and so you may be wondering what makes this dish special. The answer is that in bubble and squeak, the vegetables are always fried. Then, you need to leave things alone in the skillet to cook long enough to get the bottom a bit browned and crispy. (Kind of like a hash, but with mashed potatoes that hold the other vegetables together, making it more like a thick, vegetable pancake). Often, it is made as one large cake in a small to medium skillet, but you can also make smaller patties. If you cook it all as one, you typically stir things as you go to warm it all through before then pressing it down to crisp up on the bottom. If in patties, you leave them so they don't fall apart then flip once browned.

½ small-medium onion, diced
2-3 slices smoked bacon, cut into slices
8-10 cooked Brussels sprouts, shredded or cooked cabbage (about 1 cup)
1 Tbsp. butter
8 oz mashed potato (about 1 cup)
eggs (optional)

Finely dice the onion. Cut the bacon into thin slices. And slice/shred the Brussels sprouts.

Warm the butter in a small (8") nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat and add the onion and bacon. Cook for a few minutes until the onion softens and the bacon starts to brown.

Add the shredded Brussels sprouts and cook for a few minutes until they start to brown.

Mix in the mashed potatoes so they are evenly distributed then flatten the mixture in the skillet. Leave the mixture to cook a few minutes (around 5) so that the bottom browns slightly.

Place a plate over the skillet and flip it over so the vegetable cake falls onto the plate. Add a little bit more butter, if needed, to the skillet, then slide the mixture back into the skillet with what was the top on the bottom. Cook another few minutes until browned on the other side.

Turn the bubble and squeak onto a plate. If you want to serve it with a fried egg, you can just fry it in the same skillet.

Makes 2 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• If you don't have ready-cooked Brussels sprouts, you can cook them quickly in the microwave. Just trim the base, remove the outer leaves, cut them in half and put all pieces in a microwavable container with a little water. They should cook in around 2 minutes on high power.
• You can use ready mashed, boiled, baked or roasted potatoes for this. Just trim off any overly crispy parts and the skin, then mash them up to use in this dish.