Haggis Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Trim off any excess fat and sinew from the sheep's intestine and, if present, discard the windpipe. Place in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or possibly longer to ensure that they are all tender. Drain and cool. Some chefs toast the oatmeal in an oven until it is thoroughly dried out (but not browned or burnt!) Finely chop the meat and combine in a large bowl with the suet, oatmeal, finely chopped onions, beef stock, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mace. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well. Stuff the meat and spices mixture into the beef bung which should be over half full. Then press out the air and tie the open ends tightly with string. Make sure that you leave room for the mixture to expand or else it may burst while cooking. If it looks as though it may do that, prick with a sharp needle to reduce the pressure. Place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and immediately reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for three hours. Avoid boiling vigorously to avoid bursting the skin. Serve hot with "champit tatties and bashit neeps" (mashed/creamed potato and turnip/swede). For added flavor, you can add some nutmeg to the potatoes and allspice to the turnip/swede. Some people like to pour a little whiskey over their haggis - Drambuie is even better! Don't go overboard on this or you'll make the haggis cold. At Burns Suppers, the haggis is traditionally piped in and Burns' "Address to the Haggis" recited over it.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add Kitchen Bouquet and Pickapeppa to the beef broth.
• Boil the liver (or other organ meat) in this mixture for five minutes.
• Drain and put aside to cool.
• Cut the scrapple (chilled) into thick slabs.
• Boil scrapple in broth for two minutes.
• Drain and put aside.
• Do not discard the remaining broth mixture.
• Toast (broil) the oatmeal in the oven until it all begins to turn a pale brown.
• Grind the liver or organ meat (I recommend using the same method as for the suet, above).
• Mix all the ingredients (except the 2-oz batch of suet) with the seasonings and spices.
• Using your hands, mix thoroughly.
• The objective is to produce a mixture that is thoroughly moist but not wet.
• If your mixture is just a little too dry, add just enough of the remaining broth until a thoroughly moist consistency is achieved.
• If your mixture is very dry (especially if you used lean meats and lots of oats), add some of the remaining ground suet in addition to some broth until a thoroughly moist consistency is achieved.
• Cut the sausage casing into 12-inch strips.
• Stuff the haggis mixture into each strip of sausage casing.
• It is CRITICAL that you leave 2 1/2 to 3 inches at both ends unfilled.
• This is absolutely necessary to allow the oats room to swell during the cooking process.
• Leave the ends of the casings open- do not tie or otherwise close them.
• Place the haggises in a steamer and cover and steam them for three hours.
• If you do not have sausage casings, thoroughly and heavily grease the top pan of your steamer (preferably with shortening).
• Place the haggis mixture in the pan, but make sure you leave ample space for swelling during cooking.
• I suggest only filling the pan about 2/3 full.
• If your steamer does not have a vented lid, cover the pan with greaseproof paper and a cloth.
• Steam the mixture for three hours.
• Repeat the cooking process with any remaining mixture.
• In Scotland, the traditional way to serve haggis is piping hot (on warm plates) with mashed potatoes and mashed yellow turnips-"tatties and neeps", as they are called in Scotland- and to give the meal a truly Scottish flavour, I recommend serving a glass of single malt whiskey along with it.
• The cooked haggis may be refrigerated or frozen.
• I like to slice cold haggis and heat it through in a DRY frying pan until golden brown on both sides.
• I serve fried haggis with poached eggs for breakfast, and also with chips (chips= French fries) for lunch.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.
• In food processor with chopping blade, process together half of the lamb, the liver, water, onion, egg, salt, pepper, sugar, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined.
• Add the remaining half of the lamb and the oats, process until well combined.
• Spoon lamb mixture into greased pan, pat surface to level.
• Bake 45 to55 minutes or until centre feels firm when gently pressed.
• Cool 5 minutes in pan, unmold onto platter, slice and serve.