Haggis

Mille® 's Note:

"Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" (Robert Burns). CHEF'S NOTE: Due to the fact that some of the “true” ingredients of a Scottish haggis recipe are officially considered “unfit for human consumption” by the United States Department of Agriculture, it is impossible to obtain those ingredients in the United States. The following recipe loosely resembles a true Scottish recipe and, in my humble opinion, tastes darn good and does a fine job of mocking “real” haggis.

• Total Time: 4 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Serves: 8

Yield: 3.0 pounds

• 3 -4 ounces liver (or other organ meat)
• 6 ounces scrapple
• 4 ounces spicy sausage
• 4 ounces ground veal or 4 ounces ground lamb
• 4 ounces ground fowl (such as Cornish hen, pheasant, duck, or goose. Turkey may be used, but does not have as strong a fla)
• 8 ounces kidney beans , cooked and mashed (Can substitute refried beans)
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons Kitchen Bouquet (or any other browning or seasoning sauce)
• 1 ½ teaspoons Pickapeppa Sauce (or other peppery spicy thick sauce)
• 2 medium onions , peeled and finely chopped
• 8 -10 ounces old-fashioned oatmeal (** DO NOT USE instant or 1-minute oatmeal)
• 6 ounces suet (shredded or ground, divided into 4- and 2-oz batches, I recommend freezing the suet in small chunks,)
• salt or salt substitute
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned pepper
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg , grated
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• 2 teaspoons sage
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
• Tabasco sauce
• peppery dry spices
• 96 inches pork sausage casings , thoroughly cleaned (if you can't get sausage casing, don't worry, keep going)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, add Kitchen Bouquet and Pickapeppa to the beef broth.
2. Boil the liver (or other organ meat) in this mixture for five minutes.
3. Drain and put aside to cool.
4. Cut the scrapple (chilled) into thick slabs.
5. Boil scrapple in broth for two minutes.
6. Drain and put aside.
7. Do not discard the remaining broth mixture.
8. Toast (broil) the oatmeal in the oven until it all begins to turn a pale brown.
9. Grind the liver or organ meat (I recommend using the same method as for the suet, above).
10. Mix all the ingredients (except the 2-oz batch of suet) with the seasonings and spices.
11. Using your hands, mix thoroughly.
12. The objective is to produce a mixture that is thoroughly moist but not wet.
13. If your mixture is just a little too dry, add just enough of the remaining broth until a thoroughly moist consistency is achieved.
14. 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.
15. Cut the sausage casing into 12-inch strips.
16. Stuff the haggis mixture into each strip of sausage casing.
17. It is CRITICAL that you leave 2 1/2 to 3 inches at both ends unfilled.
18. This is absolutely necessary to allow the oats room to swell during the cooking process.
19. Leave the ends of the casings open- do not tie or otherwise close them.
20. Place the haggises in a steamer and cover and steam them for three hours.
21. If you do not have sausage casings, thoroughly and heavily grease the top pan of your steamer (preferably with shortening).
22. Place the haggis mixture in the pan, but make sure you leave ample space for swelling during cooking.
23. I suggest only filling the pan about 2/3 full.
24. If your steamer does not have a vented lid, cover the pan with greaseproof paper and a cloth.
25. Steam the mixture for three hours.
26. Repeat the cooking process with any remaining mixture.
27. 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.
28. The cooked haggis may be refrigerated or frozen.
29. I like to slice cold haggis and heat it through in a DRY frying pan until golden brown on both sides.
30. I serve fried haggis with poached eggs for breakfast, and also with chips (chips= French fries) for lunch.

Reviews

[~*Sarah*~]

Sir, like the other two commentors, I would hasten to remind you that traditional Scottish, Irish, or English cooking normally did not involve any kind of red peppers or tabasco sause under a regular basis. Especialy not Hagis- to use such a thing and say its an immitation to not only the Scots but also to any true hearted Ren Faire Guild Member, I happen to be both. Try something like a Lintel Stew, it'll be much closer to real period food.

[becrossman]

This has WAY too many ingredients for a real haggis, especially all the spicy pepper stuff and so many herbs, and where on earth did you get the idea that any kind of poultry would ever make it into a Haggis? Haggis is made with some black pepper, with mutton/lamb and some herbs, but not that many, and certainly not with any kinds of pepper/chili sauces . And none of the ingredients are not safe for human consumption. It is amazing what Americans make up about cultures they don't have a clue about. It's like the idiots who came over and refused to buy lambswool sweaters because they might catch foot and mouth.

[Dolphin]

wow...this looks real complicated...I have an easyer recipie somewhere..just have to find it. It is a traditional scottish recipie passed down to me using the "real " ingredience... All available from any butcher.