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)

My nana used to make mince n tatties once a week. No beans.

beans were served on top of a mince pie with broon sauce.

she used to make lovely soup with mutton - I used to be allowed to take a big lump of mutton to see if it was ready - was delicious.

Like many of you there was a weekly menu with the same thing served each day of the week…

Mince and tatties is a favourite school meal here. obviously not cooked as described - it should be in a rich meaty gravy by the end of cooking and have a similar texture to proper Italian bolognese (meaty no tomato).
And ds’s favourite meal in the whole world is haggis mash and Heinz baked beans.

As long as you don’t say “Scotch”. Which is obviously a drink, not a nationality.

It sounds like really badly made mince and mash. Well made mince and mash is delicious.

I basically went veggie as a teen so I didn't have to eat stovies any more. Still veggie now at 50!

I served this exact dinner up tonight

I live in Northern Ireland where there is a huge Ulster Scots identity , but Im a Londoner of Irish parents

I cook it so many ways, but my basic back bone , is dry frying the mince, then adding the onions ( and maybe like tonight fine diced carrots and turnips ) throw on a bit of flour and cook that out, add the stock - boiling water and an oxo is just grand, and just let it simmer away

And yep tonight it was served with buttery mash and baked beans

My family must haves are either squirt a bit of HP sauce into the mince and gravy before serving OR make an OXO gravy

The mince dishes the bases of so many dishes , depends on how much time I have as to what it will be. It was going to be spag Bol or lasagne - add tom puree when dry frying , garlic and oregano and a tin of toms or I could have made a chilli or cottage pie or a mince pie

A lot of people think mince doesn't take a lot of cooking, it doesn't for the browning and separating, but let it slow cook for 2 or 3 hours at least , to absorb the flavours that are added, else its mince and veg

I’m not sure this meal is served across the whole of the UK as I (Welsh) and DH (southern English) have never eaten or heard of it. Although it does sound a lot like a deconstructed cottage pie. I now want cottage pie.

Someone commented above about different grades of mince. My mum always used steak mince (double minced) which probably did make it nicer than cheaper mince. Long cooking is just as important though.

that's what I've been mixing up-Scots vs Scotch lol. I knew there was a variation that was wrong. Refer to my title re ignorant american and try to forgive 😂