Savoury Mince with Cheese & Parsley Scones.
Sometimes I just want something hot, comforting with the right amount of flavour, and when I do, this is a dish I pull out of the oven.
Its full of flavour and has the most amazingly light cheese and parsley scones baked right in top of the mincy goodness.
It’s a bit of a glow up on a school lunch that was served when I was a kid, but I’ve pimped it up to be so much better.
Using a combination of pork and beef mince as a base, the mince is so full herbs and flavour.
The cheese scones on the top are light and this lightness depends on how little they are handled. This is also a tip when making other scones.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life!
A one pot delight
What You Need
500g Minced Beef
500g Minced Pork
300ml Beef Stock using 2 beef stock cubes
300g Smoked Bacon Lardons – See Tip Box
300g Frozen Garden Peas
6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Large Carrots – Chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp Paprika Paste – See Tip Box
3 tbsp Tomato Puree
3 tbsp Plain Flour
3 tbsp Worcester Sauce
2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 tsp Dried Parsley
2 tbsp Paprika
2 Large Garlic Cloves - Minced
1 Large Onion – Roughly Chopped
1 Large Leek – Roughly Chopped
Cook the bacon and soften the vegetables
Cheese & Herbs Scones
350g Self Raising Flour
200g Mature Cheddar Cheese - Grated
100g Butter – Cold and cut into small cubes
3 tbsp Dried Parsley
¼ tsp Malden Seas Salt
10 – 20 tbsp Cold Milk – See Tip Box
Brown the mince and get on with the rest of the cooking.
How It’s Done
Heat the oven for 180c
Place the vegetable oil into a shallow oven proof heavy bottomed pan, add the chopped onion, chopped leak, chopped carrot and lardons.
On a medium heat, cook everything until the lardons are cooked and the onions and leeks are soft and transparent – approx. 10 minutes – See Tip Box
Add the minced garlic, dried herbs and paprika, give it a mix and let it cook on a low heat, for another two minutes.
Add the pork and beef mince and let it cook on a low to medium heat, breaking the meat up and mixing it with the vegetables as it cooks.
Let the meat cook until it is cooked through and the meat has broken into pieces.
Sprinkle in the flour and mix it in so everything is coated with the flour.
The flour will help thicken the sauce.
Add the beef stock and Worcester sauce, and mix it through the meat mixture, continuing to mix in until the stock thickens up.
Add the frozen peas and give it another mix and let it cook for another 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Turn the heat off until the scones are made.
Add the milk a bit at a time until the dough comes together.
Cheese and Herb Scones
Add the flour, salt and dried herbs to a large bowl and give it a good mix
Add the small pieces of cold butter and using fingertips, rub the butter with the four until it looks like breadcrumbs, or using two butter knives or use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs – See Tip Box
Once it looks like breadcrumbs, add 10 tbsp of the cold milk and using a blunt knife, mix until it comes together into a soft dough.
A soft dough
This is where you may need to and more of the milk to bring it together. The dough should come together and be soft but not sticky.
Once ready, put a little bit of flour on to a clean work surface and turn out the dough.
Without over handling the dough, push it together into circle making it flat about two inches thick.
Use a long sharp knife to cut the dough into eight wedges.
Cut into eight wedges
Cooking
Lay the wedges of scones evenly on top of the mince mixture, leaving spaces between.
Divide the remaining cheese and sprinkle over the top pf each of the scones.
Put the dish into the hot oven and let it cook until the scones have risen, become brown around the edges and the mince mixture is bubbling. Approx. 25-40 minutes – See Tip Box
Once ready, remove it from the oven and serve hot or at room temperature.
Share the remaining cheese amongst the scones
Tip Box
Paprika Paste – I found this in my local Lidle and after using it the first time, I became so obsessed with it that I returned and bough another 5 tubes. But honestly, if you haven’t found it yet, miss it out.
Smoked Lardons – Using smoked adds another element of flavour to the dish, but if not available, use non smoked.
Cooking the lardons and onions – Cooking these will take more time than you think. The idea is that the onions and leeks become soft and translucent without getting colour. Take your time with this stage, but keep an eye on the mixture and make sure the mixture gets a mix.
Cold Milk – How much milk needed to bring the dough together will vary, so 10 tbsp first, mix it in, and if needed more, add it a little bit art a time.
Dough – The dough should be soft but not soggy once it is brought together
Don’t over handle the dough – This is so important if you want the scones to be light and airy. It’s important not to knead the dough and only use hands to bring it together. If handled too much, the dough will be heavy and tough.
Cutting in tool/blunt knives – Keeps the butter cool and helps not to over handle to dough keeping it light. Two blunt knives can be used instead of the cutting in tool, this takes longer to achieve the same results.
Cooking times – Every oven is different so adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Wonderfully comforting
