Sunday Dinner

When I was a kid, my mom, grandmom and I would go out to a steakhouse or pick up some fast food after church. I used to love the Sundays where we'd come home and my grandpop would be sacked out on the couch with his pipe hanging out of his mouth and his newspaper covering his belly like a blanket. After he died, I remember coming home and watching the Sunday afternoon movies and munching on my cheeseburger. Sometimes the movies were Hope & Crosby, Abbott & Costello, or Blondie & Dagwood. I loved them all.

The past couple of weeks that I've gone to church, I find myself thinking about the comfort of those days. Thus, the stew and this week's yummy dinner.

This week's Sunday dinner might not look all that special or even look very good, but the flavor....yummay!

This is a dish called mince and tatties (no neeps, sorry DBA). The mince (ground beef) is browned in sauteed onion, garlic, and olive oil. Once it begins to brown, some flour is added with a tiny bit of water (I mix it before it goes in) to thicken the juices. This part should be done over a medium heat because the juices need to cook down a little. The potatoes I used were a few small red potatoes with the skin on (my preference), smashed into submission with a little butter and some cream. The carrots are just my attempt to eat some veggies. I imagine I busted the fats and carbs I should eat for the day, but I needed it today.

About ten years ago or so, my Gradmother Helen (dad's mom) taught me to make this. Minus the garlic, it is her mother's recipe. It is Scottish and it is a source of comfort. Sometimes we need it, eh?