Bubble and squeak is a fried British dish traditionally made with potatoes and cabbage, but it works with most combinations of vegetables.
The flavoursome meal can be enjoyed on any day of the week though Monday is the prime time when there’s lots of leftovers from Sunday’s dinner or in December, a Christmas feast.
While this familiar food gets its unique name from the sound it makes while cooking in the pan, it’s much quicker and healthier when done in an air fryer, according to one food blogger.
Sharing her recipe in a video on TikTok, @curlyscooking claimed that her air fryer bubble and squeak is “crispy and delicious”.
She said: “Air Fryer Bubble & Squeak is the perfect way to make the most of leftover vegetables and mashed potatoes. It is so easy to make as the air fryer does all the work for you and is incredibly versatile too.”
Ingredients
Makes eight patties:
- 300g mashed potatoes
- 150g cooked carrots
- 80g cooked cabbage
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Spray vegetable oil
Curly’s recipe is incredibly adaptable using any mashable vegetables but one non-negotiable is that they’re all cooked and completely cold before being air-fried.
Air fryer bubble and squeak recipe
A preheated air fryer may speed up the cooking time so start by setting it to 200C before making the bubble and squeak mixture.
To make it, add the leftovers to the bowl, ensuring everything is cut up small enough to make it easy to mix. Add plenty of salt and pepper, plus a little extra if the vegetables weren’t already seasoned when first cooked.
Mash the vegetables with a potato masher to form a colourful, smooth consistency, then find the largest ice cream scoop you own.
Spoon the mixture out into portions then gently press each one into patties and flatten a little.
Line the air fryer with parchment paper then spray one side of the patties with vegetable oil before placing them oiled side down on the paper in the basket.
Spray on top with a little more oil and leave to cook for 16 minutes at 200C, turning each one halfway through. Depending on the size of the air fryer, you may have to cook the patties in two batches of four at a time.
Showing the results, Curly said: “As you can see, they were crispy and delicious.” She recommended serving them with leftover meat, eggs and perhaps more vegetables.
