So this year I had to make do with many fewer people around the Christmas Dinner table, as I’m sure you did. For me this led to an excess of the nemesis of many a child, sprouts. Ordinarily I would have been bribing my nephew with pigs in blankets for every few sprouts we could get him to eat. We eventually found out he’d been hiding them in his trouser pockets in order for him to devour as many sausages wrapped in bacon as he could. Can’t blame his initiative in this regard.

Fortunately I come from a family where leftover greens were recycled into a firm favourite, namely bubble and squeak. A versatile and tasty staple of my childhood.

This dish takes minutes to throw together once the potatoes have been boiled. Leaving the skins on gives additional texture and flavour to the dish. 

Ingredients:

• 6 Medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cubed skin on
• 150g cooked and cooked Brussels Sprouts, sliced
• 4 Thick slices of Morcilla. Black pudding makes a good substitute 
• 8 King prawns, deveined 
• 100g Garlic butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Boil your potatoes until soft, drain and allow to steam dry for about 10 minutes. Mash the potatoes with half of the garlic butter.

Add a generous splash of olive oil to a large frying pan and tip the mash in. Place over a medium-high heat. Turn the mash occasionally to ensure that it is browning but not burning. As the mash begins to show some browned crispy bits, the mark of truly legendary bubble and squeak, add the sliced sprouts and stir well in. Add salt and pepper to season and set to one side, but don’t allow to cool.

Quickly fry your morcilla on one side of the pan and king prawns on the other. This takes no more than a minute or two.

To plate up simply heap your bubble and squeak, place the morcilla and arrange the prawns on top. Melt the remaining garlic butter and pour over the prawns. 

As always, please send any feedback or comments to piratespantry@gmail.com