Sunday night bubble and squeak

There was a time when no leftovers went unused and home cooks (usually our mothers) found a way to turn the scraps of meat and produce in the fridge into a meal for the whole family. One of the most common recipes was bubble and squeak – a mismatch of veggies and slices of ham or bacon, hobnobbed together and fried in a pan to create a crunchy, comforting and cheap dinner. This version sticks to the traditional ingredients but be bold and add in whatever you’ve got in your fridge that you think would work. Chopped herbs, leftover roasted vegetables, or a handful of baby spinach would all do nicely.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp duck fat, goose fat or butter
• 4 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 15-20 cooked Brussels sprouts, sliced, or leftover boiled cabbage, shredded
• 400g cold leftover mashed potato, or cold crushed boiled potatoes

Method

1. Melt duck fat, goose fat or butter in a non-stick pan, allow it to get nice and hot, then add chopped streaky bacon. As it begins to brown, add onion and garlic.

2. Next add Brussels sprouts or shredded boiled cabbage and let it colour slightly.

3. Add potato. Work everything together in the pan and push it down so that the mixture covers the base of the pan.

4. Allow the mixture to catch slightly on the base of the pan before turning it over and doing the same again. It’s the bits of potato that catch in the pan that define the term ‘bubble and squeak’, so be brave and let the mixture colour.

5. Cut into wedges and serve.