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Minced Beef and Onion with New Potatoes
A classic British dish that is
perfect for a satisfying evening meal that is full of goodness
This recipe is the basic form, but it can be bulked out with all sorts of vegetables such as carrots, celery, peas etc. See the alternatives section at the base of the page.
These quantities are for 2 hungry people, so half, double or whatever depending on the number of people you are cooking for.
Sauce 1 leek 1 large onion Olive oil 250g good quality beef mince 4 cloves of garlic Salt & pepper 50ml red wine 400ml beef stock Fresh oregano, thyme and parsley Chilli powder (optional) Worcester sauce (optional) Marmite or Bovril (optional)
Accompaniment About 14 small new potatoes Water Salt
Sauce 45 minutes before serving - Halve the leek lengthways then finely slice to create lots of semi-circles. Chop the onion roughly. Heat the about 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pot, add in the leek & onion then sweat on a medium heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes (it doesn't matter if the onion takes a little bit of colour).
Turn up the heat and add in the beef mince by squeezing it through your fingers and dropping in a bit at a time. Add in 4 pressed (or finely chopped) garlic cloves. Stir well to colour the beef fully. Season with salt & pepper.
Splash in about 50ml red wine and reduce the liquid down for a few minutes. Before it all becomes too dry, add in the beef stock and bring up to the boil again.
Strip the thyme and oregano leaves from about 5 branches of each and chop finely along with a small handful of parsley.
Add the herbs into the pot along with a pinch of chilli powder, about 4 dashes of Worcester sauce and a teaspoon of marmite (or Bovril) if available.
Simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste and re-season if required.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 to 25 minutes until softened (can be penetrated easily with a pointed knife to the centre but do not fall apart)
Serving - Lay out the meat and potatoes as you wish on the plate, or alternatively, serve all ingredients in serving dishes at the table.
Alternatives - This picture shows the sauce poured over some simple boiled new potatoes, which is the way granny used to serve it up. The sauce can also be used as a base for cottage pie or shepherd's pie (if replacing the beef with lamb mince). Puréed potatoes and parsnips mixed together is another great accompaniment for this dish. Even mashed white beans will work great.
The sauce can also hide away plenty of vegetables for the kids too... Peas, chopped carrots, celery, turnip, mushrooms, etc. can all be added during cooking to provide bulk and extra goodness!
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and provides a reminder of how the British used to eat years ago. OK, so
I've added a little garlic and red wine to enhance the taste, but it is still
pretty honest to the original. 