Scottish 'Mince & Tatties'

This traditional Scottish dish has always been a favorite of my husband & his family (from Fife, Scotland)- kids especially love it! 'Mince' translates into 'minced meat' or finely chopped beef or (what I & many usually use) ground beef (round or sirloin is best - less fat). This 'mushy beef stew' (as my kids have always called it) tastes much better than it looks! lol

In a pot or dutch oven, saute 2 lbs. (or more - - - - if using more meat, increase the amounts of vegetables/other ingredients) of meat (ground round, see above note), breaking it up as it cooks. Halfway thru cooking time, add a good-sized (med/large) chopped onion & a clove of minced garlic (I'm pretty certain this was NOT used by my mother-in-law, but it adds something special to the taste! Omit the garlic if you want.) and continue cooking until meat loses its pink color. Drain off ALL juices/fat. Return to medium heat. To the pot, add 1-1/2 cups chopped celery, 1/3-1/2 cup diced green pepper. Add enough water to cover the meat/vegetables. Add 2 Tblsp. beef base (that's a 'paste' in a jar found by soups in the grocery store) thinned in 1/4 cup hot water and 1 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and (a generous amount of) ground black pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if it reduces too much. The 'juice' should cover the meat, but the meat shouldn't be swimming in a lot of liquid. Simmer the meat for 45 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups. chopped carrots and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour, or until the carrots are tender. At this point, you can add a cup or 2 of cooked peas - or serve them on the side. Once the cooking is completed, you could either eat as is, or thicken the juice with a little cornstarch mixed with cold water - if you like a thicker 'gravy'. Ladle the mince over freshly cooked mashed potatoes.