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SARAH'S STOVIES
Stovies are a traditional Scottish dish that I have enjoyed since I was a child. Like so many traditional dishes though, everyone has their own idea of how they should be made. Some use corned beef, bacon, OXO cubes and any manner of sacrilegious ingredients to try to attain their unique flavour. What they are in fact making is corned beef hash. For years I have been on a quest for the true but illusive recipe to make stovies like my mum and granny used to make. Then one day at the end of last year, my friend, the unstoppable 81 year old Sarah, invited me to her house for a demonstration. The following is THE traditional recipe, with illustrations from that afternoon

SERVE WITH:

A bottle of William Gloag's finest


248-250 Gorgie Road
Edinburgh EH11
Tel: 0131 337 3878



Fine purveyors of all things meaty - including the roast beef dripping needed for this recipe; hot and cold meats; sausages (pork & leek, tomato, beef, pork); the finest chopped pork in Scotland; red, white, black and fruit pudding; steak pies made to order; selection of fine chops (pork, lamb, BBQ, Chinese, minted); trays of tripe/chicken curry/stir-fry; beef olives to die for; plus much more. Well worth braving Gorgie's greenways for. An indispensible, long-serving local butcher.



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INGREDIENTS

Serves: Enough for 3 greedy people

3 very large tatties (the cheaper the better)

1 large onion (not Spanish)

1 small pot/pack of roast beef dripping (available from any family butcher

A little water

However much salt and pepper you take


FOR MORE FROM SARAH:

Interview with Sarah

Sarah talks about her childhood, life and growing old disgracefully in Edinburgh

Sarah's Ancestors

Fascinating look into Sarah’s geneology, dating back to 1834

Sarah's Game

Lock up your rabbit hutches. Sarah’s back and this time she’s brought the ferrets

STEP-BY-STEP WITH SARAH

1. Peel and slice the potatoes and put them in a cast iron saucepan (any saucepan will do, but since we are making them the traditional way, Sarah used the cast iron one she used to cook her husband, Tommy's, dinner in during the 1960's)

2. Peel and chop the onion roughly and place on top of the potato

3. Pour the roast dripping on top, along with a cup full of water and some salt, cover and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes



4. Keep checking, as Sarah is, that the ingredients are not catching at the bottom of the pan. If they are, give a little stir and turn the heat down slightly

5. When potatoes are tender and starting to go a bit mushy, as in the illustration shows, you are ready. Stir everything in together, taste and add more salt if necessary, although the dripping is pretty salty anyway




6. Serve in a huge pile on a plate, preferably with a glass of whisky at your side. Enjoy and raise your glass to Sarah. A real trouper