In Season

Savoy Cabbage

By Rob Patronite
Published May 21, 2005

(Photo: Carina Salvi)

Say what you will about the English and their cuisine, their ﬂair for naming dishes is unsurpassed. Consider bubble and squeak: an ideal cold-weather application of the cabbage that hogs store shelves this time of year. Not only does the name evoke the sweet sound of the stuff cooking in the skillet, but also—depending on the talent of the cook—that of a gurgling, postprandial stomach. This version comes from the Spotted Pig’s April Bloomﬁeld, who prefers the crinkly, wrinkly (and squeakier, perhaps?) Savoy variety for its crisper leaf and mellower ﬂavor.

April Bloomfield’s Bubble and Squeak

1 lb. Savoy cabbage
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 lb. plus 2 tablespoons butter
Maldon sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts, outer layer removed and thinly sliced
1 lb. Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut in half

Illustrations by John Burgoyne.

(1) Preheat oven to 400. Thinly slice cabbage. In large stainless-steel pan, sweat onions in butter and a pinch of salt over medium heat for fifteen minutes. Add cabbage and Brussels sprouts and cook for an additional fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain potatoes and thoroughly dry, letting all the steam evaporate, then mash with hand masher. Add cabbage mixture to potatoes, adjust seasoning, and,
(2) mold by hand into four patties. Heat one tablespoon of butter in each of four nonstick blini pans and cook over burner until frothy, then
(3) brown patties in pans for two to three minutes. Bake patties in pans in oven for fifteen minutes, then flip into plates and serve with fried eggs.