Bubble & Squeak Patties

Bubble and squeak is hugely popular in Britain.  Essentially, it’s cooked greens combined with mashed potatoes, then cooked in a skillet until crusty & brown.  As a crust forms on the bottom, it is scraped up and turned back in to the mixture.  When all is said and done, you pretty much have a potato & vegetable hash with lots of browned bits mixed through.  Yum!

These patties are less time consuming but are just as good.  They can either be done in a skillet or in the oven.  Both work well.

I haven’t given specific measures, as this really isn’t a recipe.  This originated as a leftovers dish, so it was never meant to be precisely measured.  I like about a 60:40 ratio of mashed potato to cooked greens.  Using two large baking potatoes should give you four large patties of bubble & squeak; enough for four people.   

The potatoes absolutely need to be baking potatoes; new potatoes just aren’t starchy enough.  Let the boiled potatoes cool in a colander until they stop steaming.  Mash them well with a small knob of butter, and salt and pepper to taste. 

As for the greens, kale is my preferred way to go, but cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beet greens, spinach, collards or any others you can think of would work. 

Add the well-drained cooked & cooled greens (squeeze them a bit to get rid of any excess water) to the mashed potatoes, stir well with a fork to distribute the greens, and taste for seasoning.

Shape into the desired number of patties (anywhere from slider patty size to regular burger patty size will work).  Either bake on a well-greased cookie sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes per side, or brown in 1 T oil or butter in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes per side.  The outsides should be well-browned and crusty.

These are excellent served with any kind of smoked meat, but will pair well with just about anything.