This recipe is from the excellent cookbook ‘AT HOME with LYNN CRAWFORD’.
When I was interviewing well-known Canadian chef Lynn Crawford for a podcast, we chatted about our long friendship, her TV career, our joint project that raised $40,000 for a new kitchen at a Toronto homeless shelter for women called Sistering – and what we like to cook at home.
Lynn’s answer to that question was quick and enthusiastic “Mince ‘n’ tatties!” adding that the recipe is in her 2013 cookbook “AT HOME with LYNN CRAWFORD: 200 of My Favourite Easy Recipes.”
I lived in Edinburgh while studying Russian and French at the university there in the 1960s. During that time, I ate my fair share of Mince ‘n’ Tatties – basically ground beef with gravy and a smattering of vegetables, usually frozen peas and chopped carrots, served on top of mashed potatoes.
Says Lynn in her intro to the recipe: “My parents moved to Canada from Scotland and brought with them this simple but amazingly delicious dish.” She adds that it “holds a special place” in her heart.
Her recipe is fast becoming a favourite of mine. Here it is:
Mince ‘n’ Tatties
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb/500g ground beef
2 tbsp butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add beef; cook, stirring frequently and breaking up with back of wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add butter and onions; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour over mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until well incorporated, about 2 minutes more.
Gradually stir in stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Add carrots; cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Serve over mashed or whipped potatoes.
Makes about 4 servings.