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

FAQs

What are mince and tatties made of? ›

Mince and tatties is a Scottish dish which consists of ground beef and mashed potato. Other vegetables or thickening agents are sometimes added to the dish as well.

While some Americans might call it “hamburger meat”, I think most more commonly call it “ground beef”, which in the UK is called “minced beef”. Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife or a meat grinder (American English) or mincing machine (British English).

It is always served with mashed potatoes (called "tatties") and mashed turnips (called "neeps"). Keep in mind that depending on where you are located, neeps may mean something different. In England, neeps are considered turnips.

Add a little more oil if your mince is less than 75% lean. Fat = flavor and many seasonings are fat-soluble. Bloom / soften / sautee some aromatics in said oil before adding your mince. Onions , garlic, green onions, leeks, shallots, celery or celery seed are the usual suspects.

mince ... nonsense, rubbish: 'Yer heid's full a mince', 'He talks a lot a mince. ' ...

The mincemeat filling we know and love today includes ingredients like finely chopped dried fruits, candied orange, spices, sugar and nuts. Its name dates back to 15th century England when mincemeat would actually contain meat, unlike today's version found in our beloved modern mince pies.

Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, including pork, veal, lamb, goat meat, and poultry.

In the U.S. we refer to mince beef as hamburger or Ground beef. Many of us just call it hamburger even when we are referring to ground beef that has not been formed into hamburger patties.

In British English, haslet or acelet is a pork meatloaf with herbs, originally from Lincolnshire. The word is derived from the Old French hastilles meaning entrails. In Lincolnshire, haslet (pronounced '/ˈhæslɪt/' locally) is typically made from stale white bread, minced pork, sage, salt and black pepper.

So, what is a full Scottish breakfast? Usually made up of bacon, link sausages, Lorne sausage (also known as square sausage or slice), black pudding, haggis, baked beans, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs, the full Scottish breakfast is a sight to behold.

What did Scots eat before potatoes? ›

In pre-industrial Scotland ordinary people had a fairly frugal diet of 'broses' made from barley, oats, beans and pease cooked in a cauldron over an open fire. Foods such as kale and porridge featured prominently ¬are now promoted as superfoods.

Well, “neeps” is just the Scots word for swede – that hard winter vegetable that people also use in soups and stews. You might also hear Scottish people saying “nips”, which is much more obviously short for “turnips”. It's a hard job to peel and chop the neeps, and then we boil and mash, then add a bit of seasoning.

It's a natural tenderizer.

Sugar starts working on your cut of protein long before it hits the pan.

According to SunFed Ranch, marinating beef in milk creates a lightly acidic bath for the meat, tenderizing it without breaking down its proteins too much. The calcium in the milk reacts with the enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins, facilitating another tenderizing process.

Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, including pork, veal, lamb, goat meat, and poultry.

The terms “ground meat” and “minced meat” are sometimes used interchangeably. But they indicate two techniques for processing raw meat: ground meat is an emulsion of lean meat and fat, whereas minced meat is finely chopped skeletal-muscle meat. Ground meat is consistent and smooth; minced meat is choppy and textured.

What's Lamb mince. Mince can be from a variety of different cuts of lamb; the middle neck, scrag end, breast or other forequarter offcuts. Lamb mince is perfect for dishes like shepherd's pie, moussaka, burgers and koftas.

In case you are wondering, Christmas mincemeat is not, as the name suggests, made from meat, although it once was. It does contain suet, however, a saturated animal fat that's used in British baking, but there are vegetarian suet options; you can also use vegetable shortening (freeze it first).