Burns Night is approaching (25th January) and inspired perhaps by that, but probably more so by a recent city break in Edinburgh, I've been eating the very Scottish meal of 'Mince and Tatties' this week.
(Tatties in case your not familiar with the term - are simply mashed potatoes)
It's a great mid-week meal - extremely fast to make, and incredibly cheap - perfect for these Credit Crunch, doom laden times.
It's perfect winter grub.
Anyway,
There's apparently no hard and fast recipe, there are a loads of variations, but after a bit of trial and error, experimenting with bits from different recipes etc.....here's my recipe.
Mince+Tatties (Enough for 4 people.) 40 Mins cooking time.
You'll need:-
For the 'Mince'
500g Good Minced Beef
3 Carrots - peeled and finely chopped.
1 Large Onion - finely chopped.
1 Stick Celery - finely chopped.
500Ml Beef Stock.
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
Dash of Tabasco Sauce
1/2 Tbs Marmite
Salt+Pepper
1 Tbs Porridge Oats.
For the 'Tatties'
Potatoes - Desiree or Maris Piper, about 400g per person.
Knob of Butter
Salt+Pepper (I prefer White Pepper in Mash)
In a large Saucepan on a high heat brown your Mince with some Salt+Pepper.
Add the Onions and Celery to the browned mince, and cook until softened - 5 mins or so.
Stir in the Carrots, then add the Stock, the Worcestershire sauce, The Oats and a dash of Tabasco Sauce.
Bring to the boil - and then simmer for 30 mins.
5 Mins before the end - add your Marmite.
(I know not everyone likes it, and it seems a bit of a strange addition- but it doesn't taste of Marmite - it adds a real richness - try it.)
Add Salt+Pepper to taste.
Your Tatties - will take about 25 mins - so get these in some salted boiling water about the same time you start simmering your Mince - and it will all be done at the same time.
Mash your drained potatoes with a Large knob of Butter, salt and pepper.
Serve a dollop of Mash with the Mince on the side.
Enjoy!
