Mince And Tatties Recipe

For those wondering, possibly/probably from outside of Scotland and the UK, ‘Mince’ = ground meat and ‘Tatties’ = potatoes. In this context, the ground meat is beef and the tatties are mashed. Now, for many others wondering what on earth an Englishman like myself knows about this Scottish classic, I do have some credentials, I promise 🤣 Half of my family is Scottish and I’ve lived here for a fair few years now, so I’ve had my fair share of mince & tatties. Anywho, I know everyone makes them differently, but today I’m sharing my version 😁 Follow me…

Scottish Mince

The mince part of the recipe is really easy and REALLY yummy. It’s similar to the base of a Cottage Pie, just with a few tweaks. Here’s what I use:

Carrot, onion & garlic – create a flavour base for the gravy. Minced Beef – I like using 10-12% fat mince. That way you get some of the fatty flavour, but not so much it turns the gravy oily. Beef Stock – creates the base of the gravy. Worcestershire Sauce – deepens the flavour of the gravy. Red Wine – optional, but pairs wonderfully with the beef. Beef Oxo Cube – helps create that classic ‘beefy’ flavour. Gravy Granules – add flavour and thicken the sauce.

That’s it! Hopefully some of those ingredients should be familiar faces in your cupboards. You don’t need any added herbs – they distract from the rich, beefy flavour.

Simmering the mince

This is the important part. I typically simmer the mince on very low for around 45 minutes. I do this for a few different reasons:

Beef – simmering will help tenderise the beef. Flavour – it allows time for the flavours to all marry together. Thicken – essential to reduce and thicken the gravy.

Process shots: fry onion and carrot (photo 1), fry garlic (photo 2), add beef (photo 3), fry and simmer wine (photo 4), add remaining ingredients (photo 5), simmer (photo 6).

Mashed Tatties

I know many families like boiled potatoes with their mince, but we like mashed potatoes. We also like them pretty rustic – hence why I’m using my Rustic Mashed Potatoes Recipe. I like to use baby potatoes and keep the skin on. Baby potatoes are perfect because you don’t even need to slice them if they’re nice and small. Sure, the mash comes out a little lumpy and bumpy, but it’s ridiculously delicious. Other ingredients in the mash are cream, butter and generous helpings of salt and pepper.

Could I use regular potatoes?

Yes! Regular baking potatoes will give you a fluffier mash.

Do I have to leave the skin on?

You can definitely peel the potatoes if you’d prefer! This will of course leave you with a smoother mash. Process shots: boil potatoes (photos 1&2), heat butter and cream (photos 3&4), add drained potatoes (photo 5), mash and season (photo 6).

Serving Mince and Tatties

I love to serve up with a small knob of butter on the mash and a couple of pinches of white pepper on the mince – both completely optional. My hubby also likes to go in with some brown sauce, but I’ll leave that to your discretion 😂 If you’re serving for 4 I recommend a Side (Green Beans, Broccoli or Peas all work great). Also, consider a slice of buttered bread to mop up the leftover gravy! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these mince and tatties shall we?!