Sunday, August 19, 2012

I cooked: Scottish mince and tatties

When my parents-in-law came to visit and stay with us last year, we cooked them many meals at home, including Asian (mostly Chinese) and some Western food. I asked my father-in-law if there was something from home that he missed eating and he said "mince and tatties". 

Mince and tatties is a popular Scottish dish of minced beef and mash potatoes. My mother-in-law tells me that she likes using lamb mince to prepare this dish. The "mince" part of the dish essentially has the basic ingredients of mince meat, diced carrots, diced onions and stock. 

Tatties is the Scottish term for potatoes. To make smooth mash potatoes, use a potato press instead of a masher. You can get a potato press from IKEA. I like using US Russet potatoes for their fluffy texture.

The best compliment I received was when my father-in-law said this tasted as good as the ones from home. :)



Scottish mince and tatties
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
500g of mince meat (beef or lamb)
500ml of beef stock (to save time, you can use 1-2 OXO cube diluted in water)
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
1 onions, chopped finely
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

For the mash potatoes
4 large Russet potatoes
3-4 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp milk
Freshly ground salt and pepper


1. In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and add the onions and carrots and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft.

2. Add the mince meat and cook till browned.

4. Add the beef stock and simmer uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes over medium low heat .If it becomes too dry, then add more stock/water. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain and mash (using a potato press) with some butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve the mince with tatties (mash potatoes) and a steamed vegetable of your choosing (brocolli would work).



Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 
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15 comments:

  1. This looks very yummy! I think I can do this, as the ingredients and steps are quite straight forward. I really need to improve my cooking skills on Chinese type dishes. I can hardly do that and am always more comfortable with Western dishes. If I did not recall wrongly, when I visited Scotland, they had the lamb version of this sold all over, but I wasn't into lamb, so did not try it at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Michele, this is very easy. If you've made shepherd's or cottage pie before, this will be much easier than that.

      You can do it with beef also, if you still do not like lamb.

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  2. wow, you made quite a large portion! this looks like another dish that would be quite popular at your upcoming cafe. it sounds not-too-complicated to cook, but i can imagine customers really enjoying every bite of it :D

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    Replies
    1. Actually once you divide the portions, it's just nice.... can't even get seconds LOL!

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  3. Looks ok. I usually use potatoes instead of carrot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the Scottish version. Authentic recipe.

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  4. Looks delish! Had no idea you can make mash smoother that way.. great tip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The holes are smaller on the potato press, so the mash will be finer hence smoother.

      Delete
  5. ru opening a cafe?! ( ref to Sean's comment :P )

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  6. I should ask Mr LFB to try this, looks great! :D

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  7. That really is the ultimate compliment isn't it! And isn't that lovely of you to make that for him! :D

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    Replies
    1. Oh I aim to please. Our parents in law were visiting for more than a month, so I guess they would miss the food that they get back home. It was also good learning experience for me, to learn how to cook a Scots dish so I can always make this for my kids now.

      Delete
  8. Lovely dish and kudos for making them feel at home by making them something from their home tastebuds:D

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