You can’t say you’re from Scotland until you’ve mastered cooking Mince and Tatties! It’s homely, comforting and loved by the whole family; the most quintessential Scottish comfort food dish.
If you’ve grown up in Scotland, there is a 99.99% chance your family will have a Mince and Tatties recipe. But there are a few different variations in how it’s made, dependant on who makes it.
But I’ll share mine with you …
The Stock Versus Gravy Debate
The question that really divides households: do you make your Mince and Tatties with beef stock only (maybe a little flour to thicken it up) or do you add gravy granules or powder?
Either of the latter is used to thicken and add a little extra flavour to the sauce that coats your mince.
Whichever option you choose (I’ll discuss both approaches below), there is no denying that Mince and Tatties is a quintessential Scottish dish enjoyed by all!
My Bisto Background
Since I was a wee girl, both my Mum and my Gran have added Bisto to their Mince and Tatties. Bisto Granules and Bisto Powder respectively, but the common theme was Bisto.
However, there are people who prefer their Mince and Tatties plain and simple – with beef stock. It can occasionally be thickened with either a little all-purpose (plain) flour or cornflour, but not always.
If you want an understanding of just how much the methods can vary – check out my video on Tik Tok. The sheer volume of comments helps to illustrate how different peoples views are on the matter:
As stated, I personally use Bisto gravy granules when making my mince and tatties. But since they’re added at the end, you can try making this recipe without, and then add some to only half of the batch and compare. Then you can decide what your preference is.
Suitable For The Whole Family
Suitable from 6 months + old.
I feel comfortable giving this to my children who follow Baby Led Weaning (BLW). The soft vegetables and tender mince are a great complete meal when paired with creamy mashed potato or some fresh green vegetables (e.g. peas or broccoli) on the side.
The only element I would modify is the salt content. As both stock cube and Bisto gravy (granules or powder) have a significant amount of salt in them for a baby. So either use reduced salt stock cubes and/or omit the gravy granules in favour of stock only.
And because Mince and Tatties freezes well, you can make a batch and freeze into little portions. Then use as necessary for your baby or toddler when needed.
Why I Love It:
It’s one of the most ‘Scottish’ meals you can get! So it’s always one I love to share with people. I even served it to my brother’s fiance’s parents when they visited from Japan.
Red meat provides us with iron, zinc and B vitamins; it is one of the main sources of natural vitamin B12 in the diet. So it’s a great red meat option for the weekly meal plan that is family friendly.
And finally, it’s a warm, nostalgic hug in a bowl. Perfect for Autumn and Winter comfort food meal plans.
Ingredients For Making Mince and Tatties
Oil: I usually use either olive oil or vegetable oil.
Any neutral oil will work well. If trying to cut down on calories, you could cook the mince first, remove from pan and then use the residual fat to soften the vegetables.
Carrot
Onion
The vegetables above the stereotypical Scottish veg options. My Gran would occasionally drop a couple of whole, small peeled onions into the mince to simmer and soften as it cooked.
Mixed Herbs: this is a matter of personal preference as my Mum always added them to her Mince and Tatties recipe.
Feel free to leave out if you prefer, or add a little of one preferred herb.
Beef Mince: I use 20% fat mince from Kinnaird Butcher Shop and Deli.
You can use 5% or 10% mince if it’s your preference. I like the flavour and juiciness the higher fat content brings to the dish, but I can understand if you’d prefer to reduce the calories.
Beef Stock: I use OXO beef stock cubes.
It’s purely personal preference on this one, as you could use Knorr stock cubes or stock pots, OXO cubes or even powder. Even Bovril could work in a pinch!
Worcestershire sauce: Not a traditional ingredient at all, but I love the extra zing it adds to the mince. You can choose to leave it out if you prefer. Or you could add a dash of either HP Brown Sauce or Tomato Ketchup instead!
Gravy Granules: I use Bisto granules (as already discussed at length), but there is a variety of gravy powder or granules available on the market.
Salt and Pepper
Water
Method For Mince and Tatties
- Finely chop carrots & onions – add to pan with oil & mixed herbs – cook until softened (approx. 10 minutes). Then add beef mince to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
You can chop the carrots and onions up as fine or as chunky as you like. Just take into consideration the length of time it will take to cook and soften (bigger = longer). I use a wooden spoon to break up the mince and spread it out over the whole surface area of the pan.
2. Cook mince until it is browned (approx 10 minutes). Then add optional Worcestershire sauce & beef stock cube dissolved in water.
Browning the mince is what intensifies and improves the flavour of the dish – so you won’t want to miss that step. Worchestershire sauce isn’t traditional but I like it, so it’s upto you if you use it.
4. Allow to simmer on medium heat on the hob for approx 30 minutes.
Then, if choosing to add gravy granules, add them to the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for a few more minutes.
The gravy will thicken up and your mince will be ready to serve with some tatties.
What Should I Serve With My Mince and Tatties?
Mince and Tatties is typically served:
On its own! This is the most traditional way – no extra fluff – just Mince and Tatties.
With some green vegetables – broccoli, peas or green beans are popular options.
If you want to mix up the potato element then you could serve with chips, roast potatoes or baby boiled potatoes instead.
But like I said above, the mince is the hero in this recipe so sometimes the classic combinations work best.
FAQs
Personally, I don’t. But it’s a question I get asked often. So if you would prefer to skim the fat, then do it.
Although I haven’t tried it myself, I’m sure you could try the recipe using Quorn mince or similar. If you do try it, please let me know how it works out in the comments.
Yes – check out my post here.
Storage and Reheating
Mince and Tatties can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days if stored under 4 degrees celsius.
It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
When reheating, you can either reheat on the hob (stovetop) or in the microwave until piping hot throughout.
I usually add a dash of water to the mince mixture when reheating as it helps to keep the consistency good.
And finally…
If you do choose to make it, I hope you enjoy it!
Why not try some of my other Scottish recipes like my:
If you have any other questions, or want to tell me what you think of my recipe, then please leave a comment below!
If you want the recipe for dumplings (doughballs) to go with your Mince and Tatties then check out my recipe: Doughballs for Mince and Tatties.
Mince and Tatties (Scottish Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 beef stock cube
- 800 ml water
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce optional
- 40 g gravy bistro granules
- salt & pepper
- peas optional
Instructions
- Finely chop 2 carrots & 1 onion
- Add to pot with 2 tbsp oil & 1 tbsp mixed herbs – cook until vegetables have softened
- Add 500 g beef mince to pot, seasoned with salt & pepper, and brown off the mince (approx 10 minutes) – see photo in Method section above
- Add 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (optional) & then 1 beef stock cube dissolved in 800 ml water
- Simmer on medium heat on the hob for approx 30 minutes
- Add 40 g gravy bistro granules and stir through, allow to simmer for further 5 minutes (until thickened)
- If you'd like to add some peas, either mix through a couple of handfuls in the last 5 minutes of cook time or serve alongside mashed potato
3 responses
My go to recipe for mince & tatties! Delicious.
Best mince & tatties I’ve ever made using this recipe. Haven’t done the doughballs with it yet but definitely will do and will try the oven technique with them too.
Pure comfort food. Delicious