Can an ignorant American ask a question about a Scots dish please?

[Jom222]

Preface-My paternal grandparents who died long before I was born both came from Scotland, Glasgow area, in the 1920's I think.

Growing up in the 70's, my father frequently prepared a dish he said his parents made often, 'mince potatoes and beans'.

The ground beef was simmered with lots of water and sliced onions, basically forever. Then we used a slotted spoon to take the wet beef and it was ALWAYS served with mashed potatoes and canned baked beans (which I understand are very different in the states vs UK)

My brothers, being animals, also added tons of ketchup to it and stirred together it resembled a plate of vomit. Some of them still prepare it to this day! They enjoyed it. I hated it, maybe bc of the appearance, not sure but I remember eating a lot of mashed potatoes those days.

My questions are-

Is or was this actually a common dish?
If so, just Scotland, or all over UK?
Did you have to sit at the dinner table staring at it while being lectured about starving children in India/China?

I saw a thread about the worst meal ever eaten and it got me thinking about this food. I don't like to criticize what people eat, we're all different but that dish was so awful yet my father and brothers all loved it. I don't remember my mother ever making or eating it though. (her cooking wasn't great either but I'll spare you the description of her 1970's 'goulash' for now, those days I ate crackers w/margarine)

Mince and tatties is a thing in Scotland, I think the addition of the baked beans might just be a family tradition of yours though as I don't know anyone who does that here.
We didn't sit getting lectured about starving people in other parts of the world because my mum's mince and tatties are delicious.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mince_and_tatties

@Miniope beat me to it - my Mum's mince and tatties was one of my childhood favourites. With garden peas rather than baked beans.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mince-tatties

Sounds like a variation of mince 'n tatties. Minced beef cooked with onions and diced carrots in a gravy and served with potatoes (we would have boiled new potatoes or mash). Never had it with baked beans though but they're a common addition to all sorts of meals. Like quite a few of her generation my mum was fond of overcooking the hell out of meat and veg but her mince and tatties was simple comfort food and I've never made it as well as hers.

My grandparents on one side were Scots, from Glasgow.

We had mince and potatoes (mashed) every week for dinner. The mince was cooked/simmered with onions.

I was allowed to have tomato ketchup with it, and would make a kind of castle mound with a moat out of it. I ate so little, they let me do it. If there were 'beans' with it they would have been butter beans or pearl barley - something economical and healthy like that.

Yes, there were family meal times and we said grace and counted our blessings.

I think the premise for the mash is neeps and tatties https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/neeps-tatties

If you look at the photo of Haggis, neeps & tatties; it’s gives of some semblance of mince and mash!
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/haggis-neeps-tatties

Your dad’s dish sounds like an approximation of Haggis, neeps & tatties

Hah there's a theme here about mums and their amazing mince!

Simmered forever with stock, surely, not just water! So it ends up as a kind of gravy. My grandmother was
Scottish and mince and tatties were on the menu every time we visited - ultimate comfort food.

Oh the horror! I’m getting flash backs.

Yes, we had this once a week every week (Wednesday). Ours had carrots in it. And the next day it became cottage pie.

Yes, we were lectured about starving children, and how lucky we were, and about grandpa who had once refused to eat a meal and was served it 3 days straight until he gave in, and my smug sister always ate it joyfully whilst I wanted to weep.

Even worse was the overcooked smoked fish, over cooked boiled potatoes and beans night (Tuesday)

Oldest dc had this for school dinner today, change up from usual fish Friday!

I love mince and tatties.

And stovies.

Mince and tatties was a very common meal when I was growing up in Glasgow in the 80s. Definitely lots of problematic chat about finishing it because of starving children in Africa.

My mum used to make the mince gravy dead watery and I hated it. My dad used to reduce it down and use Bisto browning so the mince was coated in a thicker, stickier gravy and that was lush. Both were amazing at mashing the tatties super smooth and added whole milk and butter so they were really creamy. Always served with either garden peas or mushy peas (mums mushy peas were brilliant, marrowfat with loads of pepper and butter). Sometimes we'd have a square of puff pastry on the side too. We had this every Friday as I was growing up.

What lunatic puts red sauce in mince and tatties though? That's revolting. Only ever broon sauce (HP obviously).

I love mince and tatties. One of my favourite things when I was little. Still make it sometimes but with peas rather than beans.

Oh but I've never had it with beans

We had baked beans with our mince & tatties - and used to stir it all together and call it a ‘dogs dinner’

Mince and tatties, yes. Our tatties were just peeled, boiled potatoes- plain old ones, not 'new'.

Never with beans though. And may I say, baked beans and mash shouldn't share the same post code, never mind a plate.

Mince and potatoes was and still is a popular dish in Scotland.

Known as mince and tatties. Or mince and totties, depending on where you come from and what you call potatoes!

Onion, carrot or peas can be cooked in it. Or sometimes carrots, peas or baked beans are served as a helping on the same plate.

When you think about the meat that's inside your lasagne, it's the same stuff as we eat ie Minced beef. Mixed with tomato purée etc. (just not garlic)!

Maybe your brothers are trying to make the mince taste more Italian!

See if you can find a tin of Heinz baked beans. They are very popular.

I have to disagree there. My go to lazy meal is mashed potato with cheese topped with beans.

I know so many people love the mash and beans combo, but you're all just wrong uns frankly.

There's a particular smell to mash and beans that renders me ill 🤢

Is or was this actually a common dish? Yes
If so, just Scotland, or all over UK? We had it a lot in the northeast of England too, more often with other veg though, carrots, peas, cabbage etc.
Did you have to sit at the dinner table staring at it while being lectured about starving children in India/China? Yes

My mum did shepherds pie with beans, referred to as American bean pie or cowboy pie.

Not a London/ South thing. Very much a north one

Mince and tatties was a childhood staple for me too. I actually couldn’t eat mince for years as an adult as I’d had it so often as a kid! Mum used to cook the mince in the morning before work and the smell of mince was often what woke me up, which I never enjoyed.

OP, we never had it with beans but my dad still does what you describe and mashes it all together on his plate before eating. It gives me the boak 🤢

Felt a bit sick reading this. Yes: north of England, absolutely had this, always hated it. No beans though.

We used to have mince quite regularly when I was a child, but it was nothing like your description @Jom222! My Mother made a thick rich mince with onions, celery & carrots, which was delicious.

We usually had it with dumplings, sometimes cooked covered so they were completely soft, or baked in an open dish on top of the mince so the tops of the dumplings were crispy....All delicious!

We never had baked beans with mince, we were never lectured about starving children either. Your childhood mealtimes sound a bit glum @Jom222.