The second week of the #FoodSavvy challenge is in full swing and I’ve been trying my best to reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in the bin. Today’s recipe post will help you make the most of your Sunday lunch leftovers by turning them into another meal the following day. It doesn’t matter what veggies and trimmings you cooked, as you can throw it all into a bubble and squeak to create something delicious…
Whether you’re having a romantic roast dinner for valentines day or a lovely Sunday lunch with the family, why not keep hold of those leftovers and try out this bubble and squeak recipe this weekend?
I always find that I make too much when I cook a roast dinner. Probably because I’d rather have too many roast potatoes than too few! And a yorkshire pudding tray has 12 holes, right? So it’s inevitable that I always have too much of everything left over. But, actually, it’s kind of deliberate that I’ve cooked too much, as I love making bubble and squeak patties from the leftovers!
SAVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
Firstly, you’ve got to save the leftovers from your roast dinner, so pop them into sealed containers or add a lid to those straight-from-the-oven serving dishes you used – like my new ones from Ikea and Oxo. You don’t need to put them into individual containers as you’ll be bringing all the leftovers together for the recipe, so pile carrots and sprouts into the stuffing dish etc and pop on a reuseable lid to create a seal.
CUT UP YOUR LEFTOVERS
While stuffing, mashed swede and peas are already the right size and consistency for creating bubble and squeak patties, your other leftovers will probably be a bit too chunky. So it’s time to cut them up until you have diced green beans, potatoes, carrots, yorkshire puddings etc. You also need to grate in some bread – which can be the dry end pieces of your loaf – to absorb any moisture.
SQUISH YOUR LEFTOVERS
This is the fun bit and you can get the kids involved if you like. Get them to wash their hands and then tip all the diced-up veggies, stuffing, yorkshires and bread into a big bowl. Then they can get their hands into the mix and squish it all together. The more you work the mixture together at this stage, the better the patties will hold together. Add a little salt and pepper to season the mixture.
SHAPE YOUR LEFTOVERS
Form the squished up mixture into patties – like large burger shapes. If you find that the mixture is sticking to your hands, you can wet your hands and it shouldn’t stick as much. Make as many as you can from the mixture – at least one patty per person.
COOK YOUR LEFTOVERS
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan on a medium heat and place the patties into the pan. Keep an eye on them and turn the over when the bottom starts to brown. Once they are browned on both sides, transfer them into a greased oven dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for about 30 minutes or until they are thoroughly heated through. Again, keep an eye on them and don’t allow them to burn!
SERVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
I like to serve my bubble and squeak patties with a poached egg on top (and, for me, baked beans on the side). You can also use any other leftovers – for example, I had baked cheesy leeks for my roast dinner but couldn’t add them to the bubble and squeak patties because they would make the mixture too moist. So I served up the leeks as a side dish instead – waste not, want not! If you’ve got some roast beef or ham leftover from Sunday lunch, why not slice it up and have it cold alongside your bubble and squeak too?
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
Moving into the next week of the #FoodSavvy challenge, I’m going to be tackling food storage and trying to reduce the amount of single use plastic in my supermarket shop. I’ve received some cotton produce bags from A Slice of Green to fill with fruit and veg, and I’m taking my Sistema tubs to Cupboard Love to fill with packaging-free rice, cereals and dried fruit. They are at local markets throughout Suffolk, have pick-up points around the county and you can order online.
Also in my #FoodSavvy package were some Natural Wraps, Sistema lunch pots and a Banana Guard so that I can reduce plastic waste in my lunch too. Over the coming weeks I’m going to be more aware of using up my leftovers in my lunch to prevent those jacket potatoes, pasta and noodles going into the bin. Plus, I want to start getting my portion sizes right in the first place!
This #FoodSavvy biscuit from Bury St Biscuits didn’t last long – but it was delicious!
What do you think of my bubble and squeak recipe? Will you give it a go yourself? Let me know how you like to use up your Sunday lunch leftovers in the comments below, I’d love get some new ideas from you 🙂
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