I’m obsessed with Jamie Oliver‘s show Jamie at Home, and have saved nearly every episode on my DVR (messy!). This might sound ridiculous, but this is the only modern cooking show I’ve seen that captures a bit of Julia Child’s spirit: Jamie is having so much *fun* and is so relaxed and human on camera (not to mention so free with “tablespoons” of salt or butter that look more like quarter pounds!). Anyway, I usually just watch it for technique ideas of how to use my CSA vegetables, since the whole show is based around seasonal cooking using what’s in Jamie’s garden. I haven’t looked up many of the recipes, though I did give my mom the show cookbook for her birthday.
But considering that my fridge is fairly packed with rutabaga (or “Swede,” in the UK), turnips, carrots and cabbage, I couldn’t resist giving the Bubble and Squeak recipe from the “Winter Veg” episode a try. And it ACTUALLY SQUEAKS. I stood in the kitchen giggling, no joke.
[I didn’t make the onion gravy, and we just grilled some sausages. I want to try again and make the gravy; this was delicious but could have used an extra boost of moisture and flavor.]
Basically you peel and trim and cut up a one-to-one mix of potatoes and assorted winter vegetables; a bit more than a pound each. I used white potatoes, white and red turnips, rutabaga and a bit of cabbage:
Cover with water and boil until fully cooked. My vegetables cooked at really different rates, and I’ll play around with cutting the denser ones into smaller pieces next time. Jamie says 15-20 minutes to cook, but I think I needed about half an hour since some things wouldn’t soften!
Drain the vegetables and heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick pan; add the vegetables and mash them together (add salt and pepper now) to make a giant pancake/hashbrown sort of thing:
Then all you do is cook it on medium heat for about 30 minutes. Every few minutes, when the bottom gets golden, you flip the pancake piece by piece and mush it together again. Eventually you get the delicious crispy bits all through the pan, not just on the top and bottom. And meanwhile, listen for the squeaking! I think it’s air escaping from within the smushed-together pancake.
This was a great side dish with sausage, but would also be good with pork chops (and apples, for some juice), or with a stew.
Hi Kate,
I must confess that I too, am absolutely crazy about Jamie and Jamie at Home! Did you see the carrot episode and the ground lamb, cuminad carrot salad he made? I cannot wait to make that . I liked your resoutions post and feel much the same way–more blogging, more art, more focus on the photography, and of course all of this is sometimes a challenge when you are worried about health and work (I also relate to this!).
I just looked at your apt on Apartment Therapy. OMG! I am so jealous– what character! Did you have to do alot of work to fix it up? Or was it mostly cosmetic? Oh, and what color of gray did you use in the living room??
It is a work of art– you must be so proud!
Hi, Juree! Happy New Year!
That carrots/beets episode inspired me to try a carrot-ribbon salad, though I didn’t make the delicious-looking ground lamb crispies or his dressing. I didn’t like how the ribbons stuck together, so that’s when I started making the shredded carrot salad I’m so obsessed with!
Thank you for the sweet words about the apartment! The apartment was fairly sound, though it took the painter three weeks to do the plaster repairs and get all the windows and trim painted. I’m SO glad we decided to spring for a professional… We redid the kitchen from the floor up, and we also had to get quite a bit of electrical work done, but we were lucky that no one had stripped out the pantries or done any weird “muddling” to the place. The living room is Benjamin Moore’s “Silver Fox,” and I *love* it.
It is so beautiful!! I will certainly keep it in mind when we buy a place (hopefully in the next year!). You r apartment reminds me of my beloved pre-war Park Slope apartment that I lived in for many years. I was always looking at the ceilings and the mantle, thinking “if only I owned this place!”. I have a new post on a pomegranate glazed roast that I first made for my dad’s birthday last year. It is so heavenly and easy– would be great for a dinner party…
I say yes to freelancing and art classes!!
Excellent! I’ve got some sausages lying around and have always wondered how to get the pancake to hold together — turn, reform, turn reform — who knew?
Juree: I’ll check out the roast! Sounds awesome.
Mr. E: The key is that you’re not trying to turn out a giant latke, or whatever. You’re mashing it back into pancake form but ultimately serving it in scoops!