Bubble and squeak latkes – British/Jewish potato pancakes

A delicious hybrid of two classic potato pancakes, bubble and squeak latkes are crispy British/Jewish potato cakes with onions and cabbage.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a Jewish-British food hybrid! Take a look at this Chelsea Bun babka, this Full Jewish Breakfast, or these Eccles cake hamantaschen if you need any persuading.

Of course the fabulous fried carb-fest that is Chanukah is fast approaching. So naturally my thoughts turned to that classic Ashkenazi Jewish treat, latkes. These tasty potato pancakes are crispy, golden and savoury, made with seasoned potato and onion. They are fried in oil to remind us of the Chanukah miracle – when one day’s worth of oil illuminated the Temple menorah for a full eight days.

Looking for ideas to help make Chanukah extra special? My Ultimate Family Chanukah ebook is available now! It’s packed with resources, recipes, family activities, information and printables for every night of the festival.

Bubble and squeak

Ashkenazi Jews are not the only people who thought of making fried potato pancakes. The Brits have been at it too! The evocatively named bubble and squeak is a crispy fried potato cake flavoured with onions, cabbage or other vegetables.

Bubble and squeak is a traditional thrifty dish made to use up leftover cooked potatoes. Mashed and seasoned spuds are mixed with fried onions and cabbage, and any other shredded or chopped vegetables. The mixture is then formed into patties and fried. Alternatively you can cook the bubble and squeak as one big frying-pan-size potato cake which can be sliced into wedges.

Bubble and squeak latkes

Since these two potato pancakes are already pretty close cousins, it wasn’t much work to hybridise them to make bubble and squeak latkes! These crispy carb-based patties combine the best parts of both recipes. The result is a savoury and satisfying side dish that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or any time of day.

They are a wonderfully British way to celebrate Chanukah!

Left-unders

Although bubble and squeak is traditionally made with leftovers, you can’t always rely on there being any! Whenever I cook up a huge pan of potatoes or veg, with half a thought towards leftovers for tomorrow’s table, I always find that my family polishes off the lot. That’s why for this recipe, I cooked potato on purpose to recycle into bubble and squeak.

You need to let the cooked potatoes cool down before you make them into bubble and squeak though. If you don’t, your mixture will be too soft. You don’t want your patties falling to pieces in the pan!

But since these potatoes aren’t technically leftovers, I’ve had to come up with another name. Hence, left-unders!

Extra veg

Bubble and squeak usually contains soft fried onions and cabbage. I typically cook these up especially, but as with the potato, you can also use leftovers. If you don’t have leftover cabbage you can certainly substitute whatever other veg you have to hand – simply mash or chop finely and add to the potato. I’ve had great results with carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and even green beans!

What’s in a name?

I was always told that the name bubble and squeak comes from the sound of these tasty potato cakes as they are frying. You can fry them in vegetable oil, but for a really delicious treat try adding a dollop of butter to the pan. So delicious!

Whatever fat you use, don’t skimp on it. You need a well greased hot pan to make sure your bubble and squeak gets a lovely crispy golden crust.

When do you eat bubble and squeak?

Bubble and squeak is a terrific way to use up dinner leftovers. As a result, it most often appears for breakfast, brunch or lunch. However, if you’re making it from scratch then there’s really no reason why you couldn’t make it for dinner – I know I do! These golden brown crispy potato patties are great at any time of the day.

What to eat with bubble and squeak

Bubble and squeak is delicious topped with a fried or poached egg. You can eat it as part of a full English breakfast, or simply with some cheesy baked beans. It’s also happy with classic Jewish toppings like smoked salmon, egg and onion, or even a dollop of humous!

The classic American latke topping of sour cream also works well, although I’m not too sure about the apple sauce.

Can you make them in advance?

You absolutely can make bubble and squeak in advance! Cook the patties as described in the recipe and then drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Store, covered, in the fridge for up to 24 hours. (I imagine they would also freeze well, although I haven’t tried this to confirm. My family insisted on eating them ALL!)

When you’re ready to eat them, transfer the patties to a lined oven tray. Reheat at 170°C (345°F) for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

Basically, put them in the oven, then light the Chanukah candles. By the time you’ve sung all the verses of Maoz Tsur and played a few rounds of dreidel, they’ll be ready to eat!

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📖 Recipe

Bubble and squeak latkes

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Bubble and squeak latkes are crispy British/Jewish potato cakes with onions and cabbage.

4.87 from 15 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine British, Vegetarian

Servings 12 patties

Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 700-800 g floury potatoes (or use approx. 700g cold cooked potato)
• ½ a small savoy cabbage
• 2 medium onions
• 5-8 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying (divided)
• 1 egg
• good pinch salt
• good pinch pepper

Instructions

 

• 700-800 g (24-28 oz) floury potatoes (or use approx. 700g cold cooked potato)
  Peel the potatoes, rinse and cut into 2-3 cm (1 inch) chunks. Place in a pan, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Cook the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until soft to the point of a knife. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside to cool.

  If you have leftover cooked potatoes, you can skip this step.
• ½ a small savoy cabbage
  Remove any damaged outer leaves from the cabbage. Finely shred the rest, discarding the core. Wash thoroughly and drain. Set aside.
• 2 medium onions
  Peel the onions. Slice 1½ of them.

  Finely chop the remaining ½ an onion and keep in a separate bowl.
• 5-8 tbsp vegetable oil for frying (divided)
  Heat 1-2 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat, and cook the sliced onions, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until soft and starting to brown in places. Add the shredded cabbage and continue to cook for another five minutes until the cabbage and onions are softened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• 1 egg, good pinch salt, good pinch pepper
  Using a potato masher or a fork, crush the cooked potatoes to give a lumpy mash. Add the cooled cabbage and onion mixture, the raw diced onion, the egg, salt and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly together.
• Use your hands to shape scoops of the mixture into patties around the size of your palm, and roughly 1½ cm (¾ inch) thick. You should get 12 patties.
• Heat the remaining oil in a sturdy frying pan over a medium heat. The oil should cover the base of the pan to a depth of around 2-3mm (⅛ inch). Cook the bubble and squeak latkes in batches for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan. If the patties seem to be browning too quickly, lower the heat, otherwise the centres may not be cooked before the outside is brown.

  Drain the bubble and squeak latkes on kitchen paper, then serve! You can serve them in batches hot from the pan, or alternatively transfer them to an oven tray lined with absorbent kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven until all the bubble and squeak is ready to serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Bubble and squeak latkes

Amount per Serving

Calories

116

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

5

g

31

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

14

mg

5

%

Sodium

 

15

mg

1

%

Potassium

 

338

mg

10

%

Carbohydrates

 

14

g

5

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

2

g

2

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

211

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

20

mg

24

%

Calcium

 

20

mg

2

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword cabbage, onions, potato

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