from Hanging Out With the Haggis
We are not offering a traditional haggis recipe here. Most home cooks can make this version; the ingredients are available at most grocery stores. This recipe takes a bit of time to make, but it is easy. Serve alongside neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes), as well as the haggis gravy.
Ingredients
Haggis:
1 ½ lbs (680 g) ground lamb
1 lb (450 g) ground beef or veal
½ lb (225 g) chicken liver
¼ lb (115 g) beef liver
2 onions, diced
3 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ (135 g) cups steel-cut oats
1 ½ – 2 cups (350-450 mL) brown stock (beef, lamb or veal)
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp sage, finely chopped
Gravy:
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, thickly chopped
3 garlic cloves, whole
4 Tbsp butter
1 dried chili
4 cloves, whole
4 sage leaves
Juniper berries
½ tsp Allspice, whole
½ tsp Black Peppercorns, whole
½ tsp lavender
2 Tbsp flour
3 oz Scotch Whisky
4 cups (900 mL) beef stock
1 Tbsp black currant jam
Sauté the onions and carrots slowly until very soft and lightly colored. Be sure to add salt and pepper to taste. When soft, add the garlic and cook until it softens and becomes fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped sage. Allow this mixture to cool.
Slowly toast the oatmeal in a low to medium-heat pan, turning frequently and ensuring it does not burn. You want to achieve a light, nut-brown color, and it will also smell a bit nutty. Set aside and allow it to cool.
Cook the chicken and beef livers in boiling, salted water for three minutes. Drain well and then sauté both liver varieties until lightly browned. Be careful, as the livers will blacken quickly if not carefully watched. When fully cooked, set aside and allow the livers to cool. When cool, place the liver into the large bowl of a food processor along with 1/4 cup of the stock and the pumpkin pie spice and blitz until it is just finely chopped.
At this point, you can combine all the ingredients, including the raw ground lamb and veal, in a large bowl, stirring until well combined. Slowly add the brown stock, stirring until it is absorbed. You want to add enough moisture so the oatmeal can absorb it. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to combine.
Lightly oil a loaf pan and fill it with the haggis mixture. You want to first steam the haggis, so you need a roasting pan or pot that can hold the loaf pan and a cover. Heat about a half-inch of stock in the pot. Cover tightly and steam the haggis for an hour. Remove from the heat and leave the haggis covered for at least an hour. In a 400F/200 C oven, roast the loaf pan uncovered for 15 minutes or until the top has browned and formed a light crust. Serve with the haggis sauce.
Sauce: Sweat the onions and carrot with the butter over medium heat. When soft and lightly colored, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the chili and all of the herbs and spices. Cook for two minutes until it is quite fragrant. Stir in flour and combine well. Cook for a couple of minutes until the flour has lost its raw scent. Add the Whisky and stir in quickly. A consistent paste should form. Add the stock and combine well. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce, removing all spices and herbs. Keep the sauce warm until needed.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: You can substitute dried seasoning in the gravy if you don’t have whole ingredients – just half the amount required. You can also make sausages out of this recipe. Stuff the haggis in pork casings. Put the haggis links on a rack in a roasting pan with about a half-inch of stock beneath. Cover with foil. Bring the stock to a low simmer and cook for one hour. Remove from the heat and leave the haggis covered for at least an hour. Drain the stock and use the roasting pan to brown the haggis on both sides.
Traditional Haggis:
Contents and images used with permission by Canadian Cookbooks.