Scottish Beef Olives
A traditional Scottish dish of thin beef steaks wrapped around a savory filling, typically sausage meat, oatmeal, and herbs, then braised until tender in a rich gravy. Often served with mashed potatoes and root vegetables.
🧂 Ingredients
- 4 large Thin beef steaks (e.g., minute steaks)(approx. 150g each, pounded thin)
- 200 g Sausage meat(good quality pork sausage meat)
- 4 tbsp Oatmeal (fine or medium)
- 1 medium Onion(finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Fresh sage(finely chopped)
- to taste Salt
- to taste Black pepper
- 2 tbsp Flour(for dusting and gravy)
- 500 ml Beef stock
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Prepare the filling: In a bowl, combine the sausage meat, oatmeal, finely chopped onion, chopped sage, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
- 2
Shape the filling: Divide the mixture into four equal portions and shape each into a small sausage or oval shape.
- 3
Assemble the beef olives: Lay out the thin beef steaks. Place one portion of the filling onto one end of each steak. Carefully roll up the steak to completely enclose the filling, creating a neat parcel. Secure with kitchen string or a cocktail stick if needed.
- 4
Brown the beef olives: Heat the vegetable oil in a large, oven-safe casserole dish or frying pan over medium-high heat. Dust the beef olives lightly with flour and brown them on all sides until golden. Remove the beef olives from the dish and set aside.
- 5
Make the gravy: If using the same dish, pour off any excess fat. Stir the remaining 2 tbsp of flour into the meat juices and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the beef stock, ensuring no lumps form, until you have a smooth gravy. Bring to a simmer.
- 6
Braise the beef olives: Return the browned beef olives to the casserole dish with the gravy. Add any extra chopped onions or carrots if desired. Cover the dish tightly and transfer to a preheated oven at 170°C (150°C fan/Gas 3) for 1.5 hours, or until the beef is tender. Alternatively, this can be cooked in a slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours.
- 7
Serve: Remove the string or cocktail sticks. Serve the Scottish Beef Olives hot, with the rich gravy spooned over. It pairs well with mashed potatoes and steamed greens.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Ensure the beef steaks are pounded very thin to allow for easy rolling and even cooking.
- ✓Don't overcrowd the pan when browning the beef olives, as this will steam them instead of browning.
- ✓If the gravy is too thin after braising, you can thicken it with a cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with a little cold water).
🔄 Variations
- Add finely diced carrots and celery to the braising liquid for extra flavor and texture.
- Some recipes include haggis as part of the filling for an even more traditional Scottish flavor.