Turkey Bubble and Squeak
Britain's day-after fry-up with turkey: leftover mashed potatoes, chopped Brussels sprouts and shredded turkey bound with egg yolk, pan-fried in oil and butter until browned on both sides and finished in the oven.
Edited by JP Lambiase
Change the estimate
Swaps change the price only: cook any meat to its own safe temperature. Where these numbers come from
Bubble and squeak is named for the noise it makes in the pan, according to the Oxford English Dictionary as cited by Wikipedia, and the name is old: the first recorded use the OED lists is from 1762. The early dish was nothing like today's. The earliest known recipe, in Maria Rundell's "A New System of Domestic Cookery" (1806), is cold rare roast beef and cabbage, seasoned and fried; Mrs Beeton's 1861 version is still beef with cabbage and onion, and potatoes only start to appear in recipes in the 1880s (Wikipedia). By the late 20th century the basic ingredients were cooked potato and cabbage, possibly because beef was scarce during wartime rationing (Wikipedia). Modern versions take in the holiday leftovers: Wikipedia notes Jamie Oliver (2007) adding chestnuts and Brussels sprouts among other vegetables, and Nigel Slater adding goose and ham in a 2013 recipe using Christmas leftovers. The turkey version here comes from Great British Chefs.
🎬 The full story: 10 Leftover Turkey Recipes From Around the World (One Is a Sitcom Sandwich)
Why it works the kitchen science
Mash as glue
Leftover mashed potatoes already contain milk and butter, and with an egg yolk they bind the turkey and sprouts so the patties hold together in the pan.
Brown, then bake
A hot pan gives the crust, and a short bake heats the thick center through without burning the outside.
🧰 You'll need 8 items
Everything the steps call for. Tick off what you have before you start.
Appliances
Pans and pots
Tools
Supplies
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Step 2
Mix the chopped sprouts, turkey, mashed potatoes, egg yolks and salt in a bowl. Shape into 8 patties about 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick.
- Step 3
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes, until well browned underneath.
✓ What it should look like - Step 4
Turn them, add a little of the butter to the pan and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, until the second side is browned. Repeat with the rest.
- Step 5
Move the patties to the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, until hot through (165°F in the center).
- Step 6
Serve hot with cranberry sauce or chutney, and a fried egg on top if you like.
Turkey Bubble and Squeak
Serves 4 · 8 patties · 30 min total
Patties
- 14 oz (400 g) leftover roast turkey breast, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 14 oz (400 g) leftover mashed potatoes (about 2 cups)
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g) cooked Brussels sprouts (about 6 large), chopped
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp salt
For frying
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp (20 g) butter
To serve
- Cranberry sauce or chutney, and a fried egg if you like
Equipment: Oven, Rimmed baking sheet, Nonstick skillet, Instant-read thermometer, Chef's knife and cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Mixing bowls, Parchment paper
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Mix the chopped sprouts, turkey, mashed potatoes, egg yolks and salt in a bowl. Shape into 8 patties about 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fry the patties in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes, until well browned underneath.
- Turn them, add a little of the butter to the pan and fry 3 to 4 minutes more, until the second side is browned. Repeat with the rest.
- Move the patties to the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, until hot through (165°F in the center).
- Serve hot with cranberry sauce or chutney, and a fried egg on top if you like.
Adapted from Graham Campbell's "Turkey Bubble and Squeak" for Great British Chefs (first published 2015), doubled from 4 side servings to 4 light main servings and converted to US measures. Campbell's oven is 180°C (350°F). The pan heat, the frying times per side, the patty thickness and the 165°F check are ours; he says only to brown each side. Great British Chefs. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Cabbage, kale or any leftover roasted vegetables can replace the sprouts; Wikipedia notes cooks add everything from leeks to swede.
- Chill the shaped patties 15 minutes if they feel soft.
- Some British cooks fry one big panful and cut it in wedges; Wikipedia says both ways are common.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Bubble and squeak is a potato dish. Disputed: today it is, but the earliest known recipe (Rundell, 1806) was beef and cabbage, and potatoes only appear in recipes from the 1880s (Wikipedia).
- Wartime rationing made potato the base. Disputed: Wikipedia says "possibly" because of rationing; it is not proven.
- It is named for the sound it makes frying. Documented as the Oxford English Dictionary's explanation (via Wikipedia).
- Fry it in dripping, not oil. Disputed: Clarissa Dickson Wright and Delia Smith specified dripping or lard; Wikipedia says other cooks find oil or butter fine.
- Bubble and squeak is the same as colcannon. Documented as false by Gary Rhodes, as quoted by Wikipedia: bubble and squeak is fried crisp from leftovers, colcannon is creamy.
Every other leftover turkey recipe
Scalloped Turkey (Fannie Farmer, 1896)
The oldest American leftover-turkey casserole we found in print: cold roast turkey in a simple white sauce made with stock from the bones, between layers of buttered cracker crumbs, baked in a hot oven until brown.
The Moist Maker Leftover Turkey Sandwich
A double-decker of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce with an extra slice of bread soaked in hot gravy hidden in the middle. Inspired by a 1998 sitcom episode, not official.
Leftover Turkey Pho
The day-after carcass becomes pho: toasted star anise, cloves, coriander and cinnamon, charred-sweet onion and ginger, a little apple and cabbage, simmered into a clear broth and ladled over rice noodles, sliced turkey and fresh herbs.
Turkey Pot Pie with a Stuffing Crust
A creamy skillet filling of leftover turkey, onion, celery, peas and carrots, topped with wedges of leftover stuffing bound with an egg and baked crisp at 475°F, in about half an hour and one pan.
Diner Hot Turkey Sandwich with Gravy
The diner classic, open-faced: toasted white bread, leftover turkey warmed in stock, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a peppery, egg-enriched gravy ladled over everything.
Croquetas de Pavo (Spanish Turkey Croquettes)
Spain's favorite way to stretch leftover meat: finely chopped turkey cooked into a very thick bechamel of milk and turkey broth, chilled, shaped into little logs, coated in egg and crumbs and fried until crisp outside and creamy inside.
Turkey Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquettes)
Japan's home-style croquette with Thanksgiving leftovers inside: fluffy mashed russet potatoes folded with leftover turkey and slowly cooked onion, shaped into ovals, rolled in flour, egg and panko and fried golden, with tonkatsu sauce.
Stuffing Waffles with Turkey and Gravy
Leftover stuffing bound with egg and parsley, pressed into a hot waffle iron until crisp in every square, then topped with turkey warmed right in the iron, hot gravy and cranberry sauce.
Turkey Chilaquiles Verdes
Mexico's own leftover rescue with turkey: a broiled tomatillo and serrano salsa simmered with broth and shredded turkey, tortilla chips stirred in and softened for 4 minutes, finished with crema, aged cheese, onion, cilantro and a fried egg.
Turkey Carcass Noodle Soup
The last thing the bird gives you: the roast turkey carcass simmered four hours with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, white wine and herbs into a rich stock, then made into soup with fresh vegetables, pasta shells and the meat picked from the bones.
Turkey Cobb Salad
Cubed leftover turkey breast in neat rows with chopped egg, avocado, crisp bacon, grape tomatoes, blue cheese and chives on romaine and watercress, every part tossed in its own share of a mustardy red wine vinaigrette.
Leftover Turkey Banh Mi
Twenty minutes to a Vietnamese-American holiday snack: crisp warm baguette spread with mayo and a splash of Maggi or soy, filled with peppery reheated turkey, tangy daikon and carrot pickle, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.