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Bubble and Squeak

I was introduced to Bubble and Squeak by Clarissa Dickson Wright — one of the “Two Fat Ladies” well-known for their BBC2 television cooking program. It was in episode #3 of the first season, where Clarissa exclaimed that when making Bubble and Squeak, if you couldn’t use lard or beef drippings, “then go and cook something else…” The reason is that lard or rendered beef fat can get to a sufficiently high enough temperature to ensure this dish browns nicely and cooks through. My version of this is as true to Clarissa’s as I can do, where I use EPIC pork fat for the lard and Brussels sprouts rather than cabbage for the greens. If you’re on a diet, make this anyway and serve it as one of those “guilty pleasures” you can feel bad about well later after you’ve had a bite — or three!
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Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz. Frozen Brussels Sprouts that's a bag from your local Harris Teeter, Kroger, Safeway, Winn-Dixie, Wegmans, or Stop-n-Shop
  • 1 large Onion nicely diced
  • 1 lb. Boiling potatoes peeled
  • 3 tbsp EPIC Pork Fat
  • 1 tbsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp Coarse pepper

Instructions
 

Prepare the Potatoes

  • You must do this ahead of time, because we need the potatoes to be cold when you go to use them. The potatoes must be soft enough to be able to cut and lightly crush with the back of a knife blade. Not raw, and not quite ready to be mashed potatoes. Somewhere in between.
  • Peel the potatoes. Put them into a pot and add water to cover them by an inch or two. Bring the water to a boil and keep an eye on the potatoes. After about 15 minutes of gently boiling, the potatoes should be ready. You can test them by putting a fork into a potato, and if it slides in fairly easily, they’re ready. Remove from the range and put under running cold water. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.
  • There is a short cut, but it costs more. You can buy three 16oz cans of whole, white potatoes and put them into the refrigerator for a couple of hours. The canning process makes them perfect for gently crushing in the next step.

Prepare the Ingredients

  • Get the Brussels sprouts out of the freezer and run them under warm water in a sieve. Transfer them to a bowl and microwave them to thaw them out completely. Move them to a cutting board and rough chop them. Then, take the cold potatoes out of the refrigerator and rough cut them. Gently crush them with the side of the knife.

Make Bubble and Squeak

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of EPIC pork fat in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the onion.
  • Then put the potatoes into the pan and add the salt and pepper.
  • Then, add the Brussels sprouts into the pan and start pressing it down with a slotted spatula. Bring the heat up to medium-high.
  • Add another tablespoon of pork fat in dollops to the top and keep pressing it down. This is where Bubble and Squeak gets its name — from the sound it makes while it’s frying. This will go for about 15 minutes.
  • You want a good crust to form on the bottom before you start to flip it over. It’s not a pancake, so you aren’t trying to flip it over at one time. Flip sections at a time and then add the remaining tablespoon of pork fat in dollops and press it all down. Let this continue to fry for another 5 — 10 minutes and then it should be done.

Notes

Inspired by Two Fat Ladies