• 450 g/1 lb potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 15–25 g/½-1 oz roast dripping
• salt and freshly milled pepper
• 1.5 dl/¼ pint roast gravy or water
• leftover cooked meat

Peel the potatoes and slice thickly. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Melt the dripping in a heavy frying pan, add the onion and fry for a few moments. Add the sliced potatoes and turn them in the hot fat. Season with salt and pepper and add any chopped meat. Pour over the gravy or water – there should be just enough to cover the base of the pan and prevent the stovies from sticking.

Cover with a lid and cook very gently for about 30 minutes. Strictly speaking stovies should not be stirred during cooking. Give the pan an occasional shake and keep the lid on. Stir only if the vegetables begin to stick. When cooked, stovies should be brown and slightly crisp underneath. Serve very hot.