Cheap Family Meals 2 – Stovies

Stovies

The next of my  cheap family meals is Stovies. Traditionally a Scottish dish and taught to me by my husband and mother in law. This was a meal he grew up with and as a result so did our children.

To Feed about 6 people.

Ingredients:

1lb minced beef

2 Large onions

12 large potatoes

2 stock cubes dissolved in 1pt of water or 1pt of homemade stock

A little oil or fat of some kind

Seasoning

Method:

Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. Potatoes of various thickness work best, as some will disintegrate and some will keep mostly whole. Heat the oil/fat over a gentle heat in a large pan.  Add the onions and sauté till soft. Remove the onions from the pan and add the mince. Cook over a high heat till all the mince is well browned and cooked through. Do not worry if a little sticks to the bottom but try not to let it burn. A good brown colour will add flavour to the dish. Put the onions back in the pan and add the potatoes stir to mix and coat the potatoes in any fat that ran off the mince. You could pour off the fat if you want to be healthy but it does add to the taste if you leave it in.  Pour in enough stock to come most of the way up the potatoes but do not completely cover. If you don’t have enough stock you can either make more or add a little water. Do not throw away any excess as you may need it later.  Simmer the pan gently stirring often for about 30 minutes. Some of the potatoes will cook to a mush but some will keep some shape. If you need to add a little more water when needed. Do not forget to stir or it will burn as it gets thicker. When the potatoes are all soft and edible taste and season if needed. Serve however you want. With bread and butter, on its own, with extra veg.

Variations:

Make into corned beef hash by missing out the mince and stirring in a tin of diced corned beef just before serving. Add frozen sweetcorn or peas for the last five minutes. Add a copped chilli or some chilli powder when browning the mince. Add diced bell peppers and soften with the onions. And so on.

Thank you for reading this and please come back to my cheap family meals.