Simplified Haggis Recipes

SIMPLIFIED HAGGIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
• Warm the butter in a pan. Finely dice the onion and cook over a medium heat in the butter until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile take any fatty of tough pieces off the chicken livers and roughly chop.
• Add the various spices and thyme to the onion and cook a minute then add the lamb and chicken livers.
• Brown the meat then once it is all cooked, add the stock and cover. Allow to simmer for around 20mins.
• Then add the oatmeal, mix well and transfer to an oven dish (unless you started with a dish that can transfer).
• Cover the dish and put in the oven for 30mins.
• Remove the lid and cook another 10 mins.
• Serve with mashed potatoes and mashed rutabaga/swede.
• Note: I allow around 4oz/110g rutabaga/swede and potato per person, skin them, boil them then add some butter and pepper to the rutabaga/swede and some butter and milk to the potatoes and mash each of them.

HAGGIS

Steps:

• Rinse the stomach thoroughly and soak overnight in cold salted water.
• Rinse the liver, heart, and tongue. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook these parts over medium heat for 2 hours. Remove and mince. Remove any gristle or skin and discard.
• In a large bowl, combine the minced liver, heart, tongue, suet, onions, and toasted oats. Season with salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Moisten with some of the cooking water so the mixture binds. Remove the stomach from the cold salted water and fill 2/3 with the mixture. Sew or tie the stomach closed. Use a turning fork to pierce the stomach several times. This will prevent the haggis from bursting.
• In a large pot of boiling water, gently place the filled stomach, being careful not to splash. Cook over high heat for 3 hours.
• Serve with mashed potatoes, if you serve it at all.

HAGGIS

Steps:

• For the wet ingredients: Remove the bones, fat and sinew from the lamb tongue and cut into manageable 1-inch cubes. Remove any fat, sinew and ventricles from the lamb heart and cut into manageable 1-inch cubes. Remove any fat and sinew from the liver and cut into manageable 1-inch cubes.
• Peel the onions and dice into 1-inch chunks.
• Separate the suet from the sinew and finely chop the fat, discarding the sinew.
• Put the cubed tongue and heart into a large pot. Cover with water by 4 inches, bring to a boil on high heat and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add the liver and allow to simmer for a further 20 minutes. Add the diced onions and allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
• Ladle out and reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid (offal stock) from the pot before draining out the contents into a colander. Return the hot offal-onion mixture into the pot and stir in the chopped suet.
• Grind the mixture using a hand grinder or electric mixer attachment.
• For the dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Spread the rolled oats on a sheet tray and bake until golden brown, stirring regularly, about 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F.
• Pour the oats into a large container and add the cumin, paprika, rosemary, thyme, cayenne and some salt and black pepper.
• Add the ground offal-onion mixture to the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly with your hands. Add enough of the reserved offal stock to bind the mixture together. It should feel like a wet meatball but still be able to hold its shape when squeezed into a ball.
• Test the spice levels and seasonings by sauteing a small piece and tasting. Adjust the spices and seasonings to your liking.
• Once the seasoning is correct, put the filling into an ovenproof dish that is big enough to take all the mixture, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours to meld the flavors and allow the suet to disperse through the mixture.
• To serve: For a traditional haggis supper, serve with "neeps" (turnips), "tatties" (potatoes) and a generous neat single-malt whiskey.
• For a fish and chip shop serving, form a ball of haggis, dredge in seasoned flour, dunk in beer batter and fry in 375 degree F canola oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes.