From: noctus
Date: Sun, 07 Jul 2002 21:57:29 -0400
I have never written this recipe down, but have made making this for
more than 30 years. I don't measure anything so I will be guessing.
Please try to judge things for yourself.
My best friend in high school use to call it 'stovers' but his mom said
that it was actually called 'stovies' - she was Scottish; a potato soup,
or poor man's stew.
I learned how to make by watching her. If someone knows the real recipe
it would be interesting to compare it with my version.
The main ingredient is potato. I like to add carrots or peas but you
can put any vegetable you like in it - corn is ok too. The other
ingredients are lean ground beef, onions and simple spices - black
pepper, parsley flakes and garlic powder.
I use about 6-10 potatos depending on their size, 3-4 carrots and 2-3
small cooking onions. A package of lean ground beef, what is it half a
pound or something? Two large spoons of Bisto - the Bisto is important
(gravy maker).
In a large pot put enough water to boil the potatos (peeled), carrots
(peeled unless they are really new) and one small whole cooking onion
(peeled). Cut the potatos into 1-1.5 inch chunks. I like my carrots
sliced like coins. Boil the water hard until the potatos start falling
apart - they begin to look like river stones and the water gets a little
thick. (it is a bit tricky knowing how much water there should be but
there should be enough to keep the potatoes covered for the entire time
the water is boiling hard - you can add some later if you need it).
While you are boiling the water, get a big frying pan hot -- with olive
oil, start frying two small cooking onions with pepper, parsley and
garlic powder. When the onion is loose and starting to brown, throw in
the hamburg and start browning it. You want the pan to get brown, but
not black.
When the meat is all cooked and you have browned the pan, put some Bisto
(2 big spoons) into a jar with cold water. Shake it up and pour it onto
the meat and onions. Stir it in and it will go very brown and thick.
This meat mixure you will put into the potatos and carrots pot when they
are done. I drain the meat mixure before putting it into the other pot
- the Bisto makes the oil separate a bit.
Turn the heat from a hard boil to a gentle simmer after you have the
meat thoroughly mixed in. Then take some of the liquid and put it into
the frying pan. Clean all of the brown off of the frying pan with this
liquid and put it back into the pot.
I let mine simmer for a while, stirring it often, but you could eat it
then. I usually wait until the small whole onion falls easily apart and
then I eat a bowl (or two) -- putting the rest into the refrigerator
when it cools. There won't be many whole potatos left and it will look
kinda like stew, but without big chunks of meat.
It hardens up in the refrigerator, but heats up in the microwave easily.
My daughter used to say it looked gross when it was cold, but she'd eat
it with a vengence after it was heated.
I find that I add a lot of salt and pepper, but it is better to do it
when you eat it rather than when you cook it. It is always too hot to
taste while you are making it.
This is cheap to make, tasty and easy to reheat when ever you want it.
Now that I live alone I have to freeze half because I can't eat it fast
enough -- I eat it because I like it, not because I am poor.
If you try it let me know what you think.
Chris
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