Bubble and Squeak Patties

So another Monday comes around and here we are at the start of June.... already! After a busy weekend at home.. MrD left for his 12h hour shift at the plant at 12.30 am. He will get home at about two this afternoon so until then the day is all mine

Monday.. as usual is laundry day. Its also the day I change all the bedding and so give the bedrooms a good clean. There is nothing sweeter smelling than sheets that's have blown dry in fresh morning air

Over the weekend MrD worked very hard in our back garden. Our Victory garden is growing very well so he's concentrating on re doing the lawn. He has dug up the old lawn, spread soil to even it and flatten it ready for seeding. He has laid old railway sleepers to make a border and cleverly laid an irrigation system to water all the plants. So this weekend he made a step for the back garage door. The old one had just crumbled over the years.    

Now all we have to wait for is the concrete to dry and we will have a lovely new step. Well done Honey!

  

For dinner we had one of our favorite ways of using leftovers... Bubble and Squeak Patties

Bubble and Squeak is a British dish that is a brilliant way of using up your leftover veggies... especially those delicious goodies from your Sunday dinner.. and we had a lot from yesterday! Just mash it all together and fry it in a pan until crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. There is no set recipe, just use any vegetables that you have on hand, but half of the mixture must be mashed potato, as this is the 'glue' that binds it all together

Originally it utilised left over roast beef with cabbage, fried up with lard until all lovely and crispy. The change to potato for bubble and squeak came because of rationing in WW2 where beef was a luxury 

I take the recipe one step further, and made the mixture into patties. Hubby sometimes likes a little grated cheese added to his. And I have been known to dip them in breadcrumbs just before frying. I like to make a batch and freeze them so I always have them on hand for one of our favourite weekend breakfasts... and an accompaniment for dinner

Mashed potatoes
Left over boiled vegetables e.g. cabbage, carrots, parsnips, turnips, brussels sprouts (chopped)
Small onion (chopped)

A little grated cheese (optional)

Dried breadcrumbs (optional)

• Soften the onions in a pan with a little water (you can use fat but water will save your ration)
• Put the mashed potatoes and vegetables in a large bowl
• Add the onion and mix well
• Take scoops of the mixture, press into a ball then flatten to form a circle
• Put a large knob of margarine or lard in a frying pan and heat until it bubbles
• Carefully drop the patty into the hot fat
• Fry until the edges are brown and crispy
• Turn over and fry the other side
• Drain on a little kitchen paper