Perfect food for the January table
If I were boiled in water and then fried in a pan then I suppose I might bubble and squeak a bit, so I guess that’s why a dish traditionally made of leftover potato and cabbage is so named.
It is actually Irish variations of bubble and squeak that I’m focusing on for this frugal month of January – called Boxty, Colcannon and Champ.
Boxty (or even Boxsty) is a potato bread made of mashed potato and flour which can then be used in pancakes and dumplings. The ability to cook these is said to increase a girl’s chance of marriage, according to this old rhyme!
Boxty in the pot
Having got my man, I find that Mr V prefers his boxty with spiced lamb burgers.
This dish brings together a great combination of flavours and textures, and if you make them small enough they are great to eat with drinks before dinner.
Colcannon is simply an Irish version of bubble and squeak, which was a favourite dish for ‘fast day celebrations’ when meat would not be eaten although why you’d want to ‘celebrate’ a day of fasting I have no idea! I have added bacon for more flavour and topping the Colcannon with black pudding, my favourite part of a full English breakfast, really makes this a delicious lunch or supper.
Not so much a variation of bubble and squeak, champ is just mashed potato with chives, but I have given it a twist and having sourced scallops from our local fishmonger I decided to cook them in butter and serve with champ – delicious!
Boxsty with Spiced Lamb Burgers
For the boxsty:
225g (8oz) mashed potato
110g (4oz) plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
50g (2oz) butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F, Gas mark 4). Rub the butter into the flour. Add the mash, baking powder and seasoning. Mix to a dough with the milk. Roll out to a circle about ½ an inch thick. Place on a baking sheet and cut into four. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Cool on a rack and cut into wedges.
For the spiced lamb burgers:
225g (8oz) minced lamb
2 tablespoons chopped mint, parsley and marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 small onion, grated or finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, mashed
Plain yoghurt for serving
Fresh mint, chopped for serving
Place the meat in a bowl and mix well with all the other ingredients. Divide into eight and flatten each one out to burger shape. Shallow fry them slowly until crisp on the outside and cooked through in the centre. Serve the burgers on a wedge of the boxsty. Take a small tub of plain yoghurt and add some chopped mint and black pepper to it and spoon a little on to each burger.
Colcannon with Black Pudding and Apple
Serves 2 for a lunch or supper dish
350g (12oz) mashed potato
225g (8oz) cooked cabbage
50g (2oz) smoked streaky bacon
Black pepper and nutmeg
4 slices of good quality black pudding
1 Cox or similar eating apple
Chop the bacon up finely and fry it in a pan. Reserve any of the fat you have over. Mix the potato with the chopped cabbage and the bacon and season it well with the pepper and the nutmeg. Shape into four cakes. Peel, quarter and core the apple and cut each quarter into three. Fry it in some hot oil until browned. Set aside. Fry the colcannon cakes and black pudding on both sides until golden. Serve the pudding on top of the potato cakes and top with the apple slices. Serve with fried eggs for a stunning breakfast.
Champ with Scallops Poached in Butter
Serves 2
250g (9oz) mashed potato
Milk
Pepper
Chopped chives and parsley
6-8 scallops (depending on size)
50g (2oz) butter
Juice of half a lemon
Make the mash very creamy with the milk and add some pepper and the chives and parsley. Trim the scallops and wipe them (avoid washing them as they tend to soak up water). Divide them up if they are large – separate the coral from the muscle and if very large cut the muscle in two. The idea of poaching the muscle in butter is to cook them without colouring the flesh so don’t get the butter too hot, just let it gently bubble. They will only take a couple of minutes and don’t overcook them. Place the hot champ in the centre of each plate and make a shallow well in the centre. Squeeze some lemon juice on to the scallops and spoon them with the butter into the well of the champ.