Spicy Mince and Beans with Roasted Tattie Wedges

Chilli spiced mince and baked beans in tomato sauce with roast potato wedges

Mince and tatties (ground beef and potatoes) is a Scottish and wider British classic dish but it is fair to say that it is not usually the most imaginative of creations. Mince (sometimes with onion and/or carrot) in gravy with boiled chunks of potato or mashed potatoes, sometimes accompanied by the likes of baked beans in tomato sauce. While this twist on the dish is by no means complex or difficult to prepare, it does introduce some very different flavours and textures away from the traditional and hopefully also looks that little bit more attractive on the serving plate.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 medium to large baking potatoes
1/2 pound (225g) minced beef
1 teaspoon medium strength curry powder
Salt and black pepper
1/2 white onion
1 large garlic clove
1 red chilli
14 ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
Vegetable oil for roasting potatoes
8 ounce (225g) can baked beans in tomato sauce
Malt vinegar
  

Mince is seasoned in saucepan

Directions

Wash the potatoes but don't peel them. Cut them in half along their lengths and cut each half in to three or four wedges. Put the wedges in to a large pot of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer for ten minutes only.

Put the mince in to a large pot and season with the curry powder, salt and pepper. Put the pot on to a low heat and start to break the mince up with a wooden spoon. As the heat starts to release the fat from the mince and prevent it burning, increase the level of the heat slightly and keep stirring until the mince is evenly browned and sealed. This should only take two or three minutes.

Onion, garlic and chilli are added to browned mince

Finely slice the onion half, dice the peeled garlic clove and after cutting the top away from the chilli, slice it in to discs. Add them to the pan with the mince and saute for a further couple of minutes just to soften the onion strands.

Canned tomatoe are added to spicy mince

Pour the canned tomatoes in to the pot next and stir to fully combine. Turn the heat up under the pan until the liquid begins to simmer.

Spicy mince is brought to a gentle simmer

When the spicy mince is simmering, cover the pot and adjust the heat to achieve as gentle a simmer as possible for forty-five minutes to one hour, stirring occasionally.

Tattie wedges are parboiled prior to being roasted

Drain the potato wedges through a colander at your sink and allow them to steam off for five minutes or so. When you can see no more steam coming from the potatoes, lay them in a single layer in a plastic dish and refrigerate for half an hour.

Pour a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in to a deep roasting tray (just enough to comfortably cover the base of the tray) and put it in your cold oven before putting your oven on to preheat to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.

When the oven and tray are heated, add the wedges to the tray and carefully turn them around in the hot oil with cooking tongs. Lay them each finally on one cut side and put the tray in to the oven for twenty minutes, turning on to their other cut sides half way through cooking.

Baked beans in tomato sauce are added to spicy mince

When the potato wedges have been turned and are back in to the oven, pour the beans in to the spicy mince, stir well and bring back to a simmer. Continue to simmer - uncovered this time - until the wedges are ready.

Drain the wedges on a large plate covered with kitchen paper and season with salt and malt vinegar. Divide the wedges equally between two serving plates before spooning on the spicy mince and beans.

Hopefully this simple idea shows that mince and tatties - just like almost any other dish imaginable - need never be boring or repetitive and that there are plenty new recipes online or even in your own imagination which will allow you to both impress your family and take the combination to whole new levels of tastiness and enjoyment.

Spicy mince and beans is brought to a simmer to heat beans through