A Traditional Scottish Recipe for Stovies (Stovers)

There are a variety of different recipes for Stovers or Stovies. Some contain butter or dripping. The recipe featured here is the one used in my family, where no fat is added. Lorne sausage is added and this will act as a source of dripping.

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Stovers / Stovies Ingredients

Three and a half pounds (1.6 kg) of peeled potatoes chopped into approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes.
One to one and a half pounds (450 to 675g) of onions chopped reasonably finely. If you like a stronger onion flavour, add more.
One pound (450 g) of Lorne sausage (a square shaped flat Scottish sausage,) chopped into approximately one inch (2.5 cm) squares
If you cannot find Lorne sausage, a different type can be substituted.
Salt to taste - traditionally a generous amount of salt would be added

tn_wullie-stovies (38K) Oor Wullie, Copyright 1961, Dudley D. Watkins, D.C. Thomson & Co., LTD., Dundee, Scotland.

Stovers / Stovies Cooking Method

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.

Add the onions, potatoes, sausage and salt.

Allow to boil without a lid for as long as it takes for the potatoes to become soft and mushy. If required, add more boiling water from a kettle.

For the tastiest of results, allow the stovies to burn slightly and stick to the pot before scraping the sticky, burnt parts back into the stovies.