Mince & Tatties Recipe: Traditional Scottish Comfort Food (2024)

Mince & Tatties is the traditional Scottish recipe? If you never heard of the ‘classic’ Mince and Tatties recipe in America then you are not alone. I love to learn new recipes and this is a budget friendly dish which is heralded as one of the most popular dishes in Scotland.

I noticed this little gem of a Mince and Tatties recipe flying through the Facebook feed of a Scottish friend. This recipe caught my attention and is a keeper.

At the time we were in the middle of a heat wave so I waited until the weather has cooled to give this recipe a try and this Mince & Tatties recipe was a comfort food winner and was well worth the wait until comfort food weather here in the north.

If you love potatoes, this is a recipe for you.If you love an affordable meal, this recipe is for you.

If you are a meat and potatoes lover, this recipe is for you!

When I first read the Mince & Tatties recipe it reminded me of our own family meal when I was growing up which originated from the stretch the budget combination and concoction ofhamburger, peas and rice.The original recipe from The Herald Scotland can be found here.

When the author stated he didn’t like his Mince & Tatties without any vegetables, I thought this is a recipe for me! But I loved the fact that root vegetables can easily be added for a well rounded meal.

For an easy to make and very affordable comfort food meal, Mince and Tatties ties with my Grandma’s Hungarian Goulash recipe (thanks Grandma!)

Is Minced Beef The Same As Ground Beef?

Well I stumped my local butcher when I asked for a pound of mince. “Which of course he then asked, did you say mincemeat?” This led to a discussion of what is mince?

I explained this was a recipe from Scotland and from the pictures and research it appeared to be our American version of finely ground beef or sirloin.

The next time I visited the store, the butcher came running over and was quite excited to reveal that he now understood what I was asking for? Beef which was minced via a mincing machine or for this butcher it would be grinding the beef 3-4 times.

In any event, ground beef or sirloin works for this recipe and I simply ‘minced’ the beef while cooking the beef with a fork by making reducing the size of the ground beef.

Either way it is the consistency which will differ depending upon how minced the beef is and not the taste. For those really interested in mince, Jamie Oliver provides all you need to know at All About Mince.

My version of Mince & Tatties with American conversion of measurements:

How To Make Mince & Tatties Recipe

Ingredients

Serves four.

1 pound of minced beef (ground round, ground sirloin, ground steak)

1 small diced onion

1/2 tablespoon of flour

1 cup of beef stock

Idaho potatoes to make as many servings of mashed potatoes as desired

Butter and milk as desired for mashed potatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Peas, carrots, vegetables of your choosing. Worcester sauce for a kick.

DIRECTIONS

1. I know – you know- how to make mashed potatoes. You will be boiling the mashed potatoes in conjunction with cooking the beef. Begin boiling the potatoes first in order to time the potatoes to be finished with the mince.
2. On medium heat in a large skillet, brown the beef and onions.
3. Once cooked, add flour to mixture.
4. Pour beef stock over mixture, lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
5. Mash and prepare your potatoes to be ready when the mince is completely cooked.
6. Kitchen Tip: I simmered the mince longer and added a smidge more flour for a consistency I desired. If you are a cook who likes to tweak recipes, this recipe can be easily tweaked for the preference of the audience regarding consistency and optional vegetables or Worcester sauce.

The Must Have Kitchen Tool For Mashed Potatoes

I make no taters about the fact I am a mashed potato fan. I’ve probably made mashed potatoes in every way possible (adding Mince & Tatties) to the rotation. What is common about every mashed potato recipe I have made is my favorite mashed potato helper – the potato ricer.

Comfort Food Recipes

Grandma’s Mac N Cheese

Double Crust Chicken Pot Pie