Scot’s Slow Cooker Stovies

Well, it’s no surprise that I am a Scottish girl from Scotland. I think I have mentioned it once or twice and while I live in the central belt now, I have moved around my country a fair bit through my life. I spent my young teens and high school in the highlands and I think it really gave me a deep love and appreciation for the more traditional side of Scotland and it’s cultures.

I think the further North you go, the more old fashioned and caught in a time warp Scotland really is and I love nothing more than going back to my best memories with some good old Stovies for winter eating.

We are moving into wet and cold weather again already and today just got me in the mood for my Stovies.

What are Stovies? Well, we like to think of them as a potato stew of sorts but I believe they were created as a use for left overs and sort of stuck with most Scots. Poor mans dinner maybe?

Everyone makes their’s how they like them, but this is how I was taught and how I love to eat Stovies. I make a pretty big pot so I can freeze some for writing days when I am home alone and can pop a tub in the microwave.

• 1 Large or 2 medium onions, chopped
• 454g beef sausages ( I use different ones every time and sometimes we use corned beef)
• 1.5kg floury potatoes, such as maris piper, sliced quite thickly. I don’t peel ours as so much goodness is under the skin.
• 2 beef stock cubes depending on the brand. I like a strong stock so for a full slow cooker I use 3. Some folk only use 1.
• Water as per your stock cube instructions for the amount used.
• Gravy Granules if after cooking the Stovies are still watery.

I slice my potatoes and dice my onions and throw them all in the pot.
I boil water and in a jug, combine with the stock cubes until dissolved.
Pour over the contents in the pot. Just enough to cover all your ingredients.
Cut up the sausages into bite size pieces and throw in.
Stir it all well and put the lid on.

You can add carrots, Celery and turnip if you want to add more variety, sometimes I add peas or a can of beans. It all depends on the mood! Scot’s dishes tended to be all about left overs so really make this to your taste. This basic recipe is how most make them.

Leave on high heat, covered with a lid, until the potatoes are falling apart anytime you stir. The starch will infuse with the water and flavours, and thicken slightly.

If you have watery Stovies then you can add instant gravy to thicken it slightly (Or use less water next time). Boiling Stovies in a pot tends to make it less watery, but in a slow cooker it’s most likely to be runny.
Don’t make it too thick though as serving the Stovies slightly runny with buttered bread, is the bomb!!
I stir mine after an hour and then set it to low and leave overnight with tin foil under the lid to catch the moisture. If I am making it in daytime, I cook on high for most of the day and then stir and serve.

This is after an hour, stir it up. Add pepper at this point. It already smells so good!!

This was our lunch next day after I added only a tablespoon of thickening gravy granules to the whole pot.