This Scottish mince and tatties recipe has been a family favourite all over the world for centuries. With ground beef and carrots cooked in a thick rich ale gravy, it's proper comfort food with a good dollop of creamy mashed potatoes.
For the cold winter nights, this comfort food meal is exactly what I want to come home to!
Some heritage recipes have been forgotten over the years in Great Britain. Perhaps for good reason. But mince and tatties are still as popular as ever in Scotland, England and even Jamaica!
In fact, people in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull might say that it's the champion of Scottish recipes because they have an annual competition to find the best mince and tatties recipe.
And this traditional Scottish mince is one we enjoy eating the most in many ways, like cheesy cottage pie and beef hot pot. It's a simple recipe at its best!
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🛒 Beef Mince Ingredients
Here's what I use for my savoury mince. Note, we'll cover the "tatties" part of the recipe further down the page.
Or, if you're a potatoes lover, you'll probably have your own go-to recipe covered!
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, nutritional daily values, and instructions at the bottom of this post.
*These are optional for a more luxurious recipe but can be omitted or replaced. Please read the notes for alternatives.
Oil - we use olive or rapeseed oil to sweat the onions and garlic. However, you could use olive oil, or none if you aren't using lean beef.
Scottish mince - this is ground beef, which is the main ingredient, but you could try it with other meats, such as lamb or even vegetarian mince and stock!
Onion - we used a large onion today, finely diced, but alternatively, you can use 2 small ones.
Carrots - we use two, or you can use 1 large carrot. These are peeled and diced into small pieces and add some sweetness and colour to the dish. But remember, if you prefer big lumps, they'll take longer to soften.
*Celery - we only add a touch as otherwise, we find it overpowering. Especially as some stocks are already infused with it.
*Garlic - you can add one or 2 cloves of garlic for a deeper flavour.
Beef stock - our beef broth is made using 1 & ½ stock cubes and boiling water, but we do recommend using the best quality you can afford.
*Dark ale - we love the subtle taste of steak and ale for a hoppy taste, but you can swap for red wine or make it kid friendly by swapping for more beef stock.
Worcestershire sauce - adds sweetness to the dish. Or you could use balsamic vinegar or Henderson's Relish (Sheffield's vegan version of a Worcester sauce.)
*Oxo stock cube - we like to crumble a cube in the pot as it has a distinctly strong salty beef taste that many stocks don't have. If you can't find it, just omit it.
Plain flour - this is to thicken the brown sauce while it simmers over medium heat. Or you can a little cornflour, oat flour, Scottish oats, gravy granules or Bisto powder.
*Thyme - adding fresh thyme gives it a delicious herby flavour. Or you can use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme.
Salt and black pepper - we recommend seasoning only a little early on and again at the end in case you find there's enough salt in the stocks.
🛒 Mashed Potato Ingredients
Maris Piper potatoes - feel free to use whatever potatoes you have at hand. We used lots of medium potatoes, but have large potatoes, we usually peel and chop 4-5 to feed 4 people.
Dried bay leaves - to beautifully infuse the mash while the potatoes are boiling. Or use 1 fresh leaf as they taste stronger.
Milk - loosens up the mash and adds flavour
Butter - for flavour and creaminess!
Salt and black pepper - for salted water, then to taste while being creamed
📋 Mince Instructions
In a large skillet, add the oil to a large frying pan and sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic if using.
The next step is to add a pound of mince and fry until it's all browned off.
Then stir in your chosen flour and cook while stirring for 1 minute until everything is coated before you add the diced vegetables.
Now add everything else and cook on medium-high heat until boiling. Then reduce to medium to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
💡 Tips
You might think there's a lot of water initially, but after 20 minutes, trust me, the flour helps give it the consistency of a thick stew.
Also, I do recommend stirring occasionally in case it catches on the bottom and if it evaporates too quickly, you can always add tablespoons of the cooking water from your boiling potatoes and cover the pan with a lid.
Furthermore, any large carrots lumps should now be soft. If your root vegetables are still firm, you know you need to simmer for a few more minutes.
📋 Mashed Potatoes Instructions
Peel and chop the potatoes and add some salt, bay leaves and enough water to cover, then boil until tender.
Once tender, drain and mash with a potato masher, then add the butter and milk, then mash until creamy.
🍽️ Substitutions
If you're following a certain diet, you may find some suitable swaps below!
- Low fat - for Slimming World, use Frylight instead of oil, swap ale for stock, use extra lean mince, omit the butter, and use oat flour as your healthy extra, or reduce down by simmering for longer.
- Flour - use gluten-free oat flour if needed, while also using Henderson's Relish which is GF, Vegan and Vegetarian.
- Vegetarian - simply replace the Scotch beef for Quorn mince and vegetable stock. You might liek to add marmite for colour.
- Keto - consider using mashed cauliflower, carrots for swede (rutabaga), and xantham gum instead of flour.
🍲Traditional Variations
If you don't know by now, lots of people cook mince and tatties in a variety of different ways. Here's a few other peoples' favourite meal combinations you could try:
- Black pudding - for a more authentic taste, you might want to stir in crumbled black pudding (blood sausage) at the same time as the carrots.
- White pudding (or Haggis) - also known as mince and mealies, like above, just add it while you boil then simmer the stock.
- Kid friendly - instead of using stock and plain flour, many families prefer just using gravy made up to 450ml (2 cups) and no ale!
👩🍳 Equipment
Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links.
Also, if you're following US quantities, we show cups as well as grams, so you don't need kitchen scales!
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Weighing scales
- Skillet
- Saucepan
- Tiered steamer
- Potato masher
- Colander
*We like to use a tiered steamer so we can cook garden peas in the pan above!
❄️ Storage
Storing leftover mince and potatoes with very simple. I store both ingredients separately in an airtight container and store them as follows:
| Fridge | Upto 3 days |
| Freezer | Upto 3 months |
Reheating
Microwave: After defrosting, I find using lidded containers in the microwave in the easiest way to reheat is to cook for 4 minutes, stirring halfway.
Stove: I don't recommend reheating mash on the stove as it catches (see above), but you can reheat the mince on the hob until piping hot.
❓ FAQ
To create a slow cooker mince and tattles, I recommend transferring the ground meat to the pot after browning . Then use half the broth as the moisture won't evaporate as quickly as on a stove.
Yes, I always make beef stew in my instant pot. Brown the raw meat and skip the flour and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Then make a 2 tablespoon cold water + 2 tablespoon flour slurry and stir it in and heat through.
➕More Savoury Mince Recipes
- Yuk Sung Chinese pork lettuce wraps
- Pork mince curry
- Summer mince lamb hotpot
- Minced beef hotpot
- Unofficial Slimming World chilli con carne
- Keto beef lasagne
- Low fat beef hotpot
📖 Recipe
The Best Mince and Tatties Recipe {Scottish Beef}
Equipment
Ingredients
Mince
- 1 tablespoon Rapeseed oil
- 1 large Onion diced
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 lb Minced beef (500g)
- 3 tablespoon Plain flour
- 2 large Carrots peeled and cubed
- ¼ stick Celery
- 1 & ¾ cup Beef stock (400ml) Made with 1 & ½ stock cubes)
- 1 cup Porter or dark ale We used Guinness
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 OXO cube Omit if can't find
- Pinch Sea salt
- Pinch Ground black pepper
- 2 Sprigs Fresh thyme Or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Tatties
- 2.6 lb Potatoes (1.2kg) Or 4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 Bay leaves
- ¼ cup Milk (60ml)
- 4 tablespoon Butter
Instructions
- First, add potatoes to a large pan with enough water to cover and add the bay leaves and salt, then cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.Tip: you might want to use a tiered steamer and cook 2 cups of garden peas on the top too!
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add the oil to a large frying pan and sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic if using.
- The next step is to add a pound of mince and fry until it's all browned off.
- Then stir in your chosen flour and cook while stirring for 1 minute until everything is coated before you add the diced vegetables.
- Now add everything else and cook on medium-high heat until boiling. Then reduce to medium to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.Note: if you find it evaporates too quickly, add a dash more water and cover with a lid if necessary and continue cooking.
- Once the carrots are tender and you have a thick gravy consistency.
- Now drain the potatoes, discard the bay leaves and mash with the milk, butter and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve together with the peas if cooked and enjoy on a cold days!
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
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