Christina McCardell: Scottish Potatoes

Scottish Cooking, Scottish Stovies
(potatoes, onions and left-over meat)
Serves 4
In the past when money and food were in short supply Scots know how to make the most of their meagre resources, stovies are a good example of a peasant dish that combined any left-over meat with plenty of potatoes, the mainstay of the crofters diet in the last century. Being mainly potato it provided energy in the form of starch and bulk to fill empty stomachs. Despite the dishes "poor" origins it is very tasty, filling and often served with oatcakes at ceilidhs (country dances) and evening wedding receptions.
Ingredients
2 oz beef dripping (sunflower oil may be substituted for the dripping)
4 tablespoons of good gravy (water may be substituted)
2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 lb. peeled and roughly sliced potatoes
Left-over roast beef, chopped (or any meat, i.e. hamburger)
Parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Salt & pepper
Directions
Cook the onions in the dripping until they are soft but do not brown them. Add the potatoes to the onions and mix well. Cover the pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so as to prevent sticking. The gravy, meat, salt and pepper should now be added and mixed well. Again cover the pot and cook slowly until the thin potatoes are mushy and the thicker ones cut soft - an hour should be sufficient (this part of the cooking can be done in a large Pyrex dish in the oven, which will give a delightfully browned and crunchy topping). The dish should be garnished with the parsley and served with oatcakes and a glass of milk.