Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

Original poster

Scottish cooks: stovies recipe please.

29 replies

ja9 · 01/02/2005 21:41

I need a recipe for stovies to be served with oatcakes. Can anyone help?

OP posts:
Toothache · 01/02/2005 21:50

I was shown this recipe when I worked in a wee coffee shop in a garden centre:

In a HUUUUGE soup pot add in:

peeled potatoes, chopped quite small (floury potatoes are best).

Sausage meat (sometimes lorne, but mostly a good quality sausage with the skin removed). Break in up into lumps about the size of the potatoes.

1 large Onion

1 tbspn Butter

1 heaped tspn whole grain mustard

A good dose of salt and pepper

Then add a bit of water, not enough to cover the mixture. Perhaps about an inch or 2 deep in the pan.

Put the lid and let it boil (very gently) to mush.... stir it regularly.... at least every 10mins.

Serve with lots of brown bread or oatcakes.

Original poster
ja9 · 01/02/2005 21:54

thanks toothache. any idea of quantity of potatoes or sausage meat.

need to make for about 50 people...

OP posts:
Toothache · 01/02/2005 22:00

50!!!

I used to make a large pot using about 2.5kg of potatoes and 12 fat sausages. That probably made about 8 big helpings.... 10 moderate helpings. Actually going by a normal person portion size I probably could've got 12 out of that. Maybe 10kg of tatties, 50 sausages, 4 large onions.... and enough of the other ingredients to give it lots of flavour.

What are you cooking all this for? Are you having a party? (hint hint)

Original poster
ja9 · 01/02/2005 23:12

Thats a lot of potato peeling! Perhaps we could have the next stirling meet up at my house and make it a potato peeling party? Whattaya think?

Thanks toothache.

Is this a standard stovie recipe or does anyone have any variations? special tips? secret ingredients etc?

its for supper after ds's baptism!

OP posts:
Linnet · 01/02/2005 23:46

Stovies recipes vary depending on who you talk to and where in Scotland they live.

I live on the east coast and the tradition here is not to put meat in the stovies.

The way my granny makes them is to put beef dripping in the pan brown the onions lightly add potatoes and a little bit of water not a lot just enough to stop it from burning. then simmer until mushy.

Dh, who's from the west coast just makes mashed potatoes and adds fried onions and some corned beef.

My step mother, who was born in London but brought up in Scotland, makes hers in a pressure cooker. She layers potatoes, onions, carrots and lorne sausage until the pressure cooker is almost full. Adds a little bit of water then cooks it until it's all cooked(I don't have a pressure cooker so I'm not entirely sure about how much water/timings etc), then she mashes it all up.

All the above are really nice, in my opinion anyway. But there are so many different ways you should just try some out and see which one you like best.

Good Luck

Original poster
ja9 · 02/02/2005 13:12

thanks linnet, that was a really helpful post. looks like we're gonna have a fortnight of stovies!!

anyone else got further suggestions / recipes / comments.

OP posts:
suedonim · 02/02/2005 16:15

Stovies round here contain shredded braised steak or mince, not sausage. They serve them with sliced beetroot. Dunno how they make it, though - I just eat them!

nailpolish · 02/02/2005 16:17

OMG I LOVE STOVIES!!!!!!!!

nailpolish · 02/02/2005 16:18

got a scottish cookbook somewhere and ill look it up later

paolosgirl · 02/02/2005 16:19

Stovies and beetroot...there is nothing in the world finer

nailpolish · 02/02/2005 16:27

stovies

2 heaped tblespns dripping (or butter if you dont have dripping)
2 onions peeled and sliced
1lb 10oz tatties peeled and thinly sliced
2 tblespns meat jelly (or beef stock)

melt dripping in heavy saucepan, add onions and fry for 10-15 mins until golden add potato slices and turn carefully in the fat - be careful slices do not break up. season well with salt and pepper, then add meat jelly and heat til melted. cover tightly and cook over a low heat for about 40 mins or until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all the liquid. add a splash of hot water if they seem too dry. while they cook, shake pan often to prevent sticking - do not stir or you will break the delicate tatties.

this is a traditional recipe from 'scots cooking' by sue lawrence

paolosgirl · 02/02/2005 16:30

I think there must be different recipes - Stovies in the N.E are made with dripping, onions, beef chunks and some gravy, all mashed up.....the best thing you will ever taste.

Original poster
ja9 · 02/02/2005 17:09

thanks nailpolish & everyone els. keep'em coming!

suedonim an paolosgirl - do either of u have recipes?

OP posts:
Lea2003 · 02/02/2005 20:32

Hi

Being a sassenach - although my roots are now firmly in Perth I would love a recipe for stovies - my attempts are crap!

I have been using corned beef though - perhaps thats why?....

suedonim · 02/02/2005 20:33

I don't have a recipe, sorry, Ja9. I just have stovies if there's a 'do' at the village hall or something. But I guess you could adapt one of the other recipes on here?

soapbox · 02/02/2005 20:53

Nailpolishes recipie is the one my family uses but we're all East Coast originally. I remember being quite shocked to find mince in my stovies when visiting a friends house when we moved near Glasgow!

God these posts have made me desparate for some Stovies but am on diet at the moment

nailpolish · 02/02/2005 20:55

im east coast too soapbox! whereabouts were you? where are you now? (am i being too nosy?)

they must have more dosh in glasgow - affording all that meat for their stovies

soapbox · 02/02/2005 20:57

Nailpolish - family all from Aberdeen and I was born there but lived in Inverness til 12yo then to Dumbarton from 12-22 then down south - live just outside London now.

How about you?

nailpolish · 02/02/2005 21:05

oohh inverness is lovely - have had many romantic/dirty weekends away there at the b&b's down the riverside!

i lived in carnoustie, then after finished school lived in edinburgh for 10 yrs now live in fife.

would give my right arm to live in london though, have discovered im a city girl at heart and miss the city life!

soapbox · 02/02/2005 21:10

We took the children to Fife on holiday last year - stayed near Auchtermuchtie. Strange isn't it - we would have up sticks and moved up there in a moment if we weren't tied to City jobs! Maybe the grass is always greener and all that

Aimsmum · 02/02/2005 21:11

Message withdrawn

soapbox · 02/02/2005 21:14

Did anyone else ever have 'tattie peratties' or was that just an invention of my mums?

It was grated potatoes and egg mixed together seasoned and then fried like pancakes (much thinner than a rostie). Mum says she always used to make these just before 'pay day'when her housekeeping was running low

We loved them!

Original poster
ja9 · 02/02/2005 22:40

anymore for anymore?

OP posts:
Original poster
ja9 · 03/02/2005 20:16

well, guess what i had for me tea tonight??!! yup, stovies ala toothache, and very nice they were too. however... they just weren't stovies as i know them, so gonna try a different recipe tomorrow night - perhaps with beef chunks. i've spent most of my time in scotland, in aberdeen and want to try making them thattaway.

you'll see me comin by the end of all this - one big fat porker!

OP posts:
tassis · 09/02/2005 19:58

Well was it toothache's recipe we had for lunch today ja9? They were great.

We're happy to keep sampling your efforts if you feel the need to keep trying!!