It’s time to celebrate Scotland’s Bard.
Homes across the country are getting ready to give their Address to the Haggis to mark poet Robert Burns birthday on 25th January.
But what if you want an alternative to a plate of traditional haggis, neeps and tatties this Burns’ Night?
Here Scotland’s national chef, Gary Maclean, shares some of his favourite recipes that give a twist to our national dish.
* All Recipes from Gary Maclean’s Scottish Kitchen, Black & White Publishing *
HAGGIS AND SWEET POTATO SAUSAGE ROLLS
Haggis sausage rolls are a great way to use haggis as a party snack.
I’ve added lots of ingredients, including sweet potato, which works well with it and gives it a bit of colour and a different texture.
MAKES 4 PORTIONS
INGREDIENTS
2 shallots, chopped
100g (3½oz) sweet potato, peeled and diced
200g (7oz) pork sausage meat (you can use a couple of sausages for this)
200g (7oz) haggis
1x 350g (12oz) frozen puff pastry or 370g (13oz) ready-rolled
1 egg yolk
15g (½oz) vegetable oil
METHOD
1. In a small pan, heat a little oil, then add the shallots and the sweet potato and cook slowly. Once the shallots have become translucent and the sweet potato is almost soft, remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, remove the sausage meat from their skins and pop into a bowl with the haggis. Once the shallot mix has cooled, add to the bowl also. Mix well.
3. You are on to the fun part now. Remove the pastry from the packaging and carefully roll it out. When doing so, be very gentle. Keep turning it to ensure you roll it nice and evenly. You can get away with rolling it very thinly for sausage rolls, as you don’t need as much puff.
4. Cut three sections of pastry about 10cm (4in) long each from the roll.
5. Lay out the pastry, weigh out roughly 3x 150g (5oz) of your sausage mix, and shape into a long
cylinder and place lengthwise at the closest edge of the pastry.
6. Brush the exposed part of the pastry with the egg yolk
7. Next, turn the pastry over the sausage meat, making sure you create a tight roll. Repeat for the other sheets of pastry.
8. Pop your sausage rolls onto a lightly floured or oiled tray and put in the fridge for 10 minutes until they are nice and firm. At this stage put on your oven and set to 200°C (400°F).
9. Remove your tray from the fridge, brush your sausage rolls with the egg yolk, and using a sharp knife score the top of the pastry.
10. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
11. Allow to cool and cut to your preferred size.
HAGGIS BON BONS WITH WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE
Haggis bon bons are a relatively new invention, having become popular over the last twenty years or so. But you will rarely attend a fancy event and not get offered these as a canapé. For this recipe, I have used breadcrumbs, but they work well with pinhead oatmeal as well. I always try to serve haggis in the different countries I work in. I have served these to more than 200 chefs at events in India, and I have also presented them at the British Consulate in Havana, Cuba. Predictably, everyone loves them. They are a great introduction to haggis.
MAKES 4 PORTIONS
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BON BONS
400g (14oz) haggis
2 eggs
A splash of milk
Plain flour, for rolling the haggis
100g (3½oz) Panko breadcrumbs
FOR THE WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE
1 white onion
1 carrot, finely diced
50ml (2fl oz) whisky
100ml (3½fl oz) red wine
1 teaspoon plain flour
300ml (10fl oz) brown chicken stock or vegetable stock
3 sprigs thyme
100ml (3½fl oz) double cream
50g (2oz) Arran mustard or wholegrain mustard
Pinch chives, chopped
Good oil
METHOD
FOR THE BON BONS
1. Break the haggis up in a food processor, then remould it into small balls of about 20g (¾oz) in
weight.
2. Mix together the eggs and the splash of milk and set out alongside a plate with the flour and breadcrumbs.
3. Roll the haggis bon bons first in the flour, then into your mix of egg and milk, and finally into the breadcrumbs.
4. Place in the fridge for a few hours to set.
5. Deep fry at 170°C to 180°C (340°F to 350°F) for 3 to 4 minutes until piping hot in the centre.
WHISKY MUSTARD SAUCE
1. Wash, peel and rewash your onions, then slice them as thin as you can. Cut with the grain (follow the lines on the onion) and avoid cutting rainbow shapes as they are all different sizes and will break up too much when cooking.
2. Add the onions with a little oil to a wide-bottomed pan and place on the heat. Caramelising the onions is a long and slow process; you want to colour the onion without high heat as this gives the best flavour.
3. Once the onions have achieved a golden brown colour, add the finely diced carrots.
4. Add the whisky, followed by the red wine, and boil until the wine is reduced by half. Sprinkle the flour in, add the brown stock and thyme, and reduce till the sauce thickens.
5. Pass the sauce through a sieve into a clean pot, then add the cream, chopped chives and mustard.
6. To serve, pour a little of your sauce into some shot glasses and top with your crispy haggis bonbons.
HAGGIS DICED GARLIC POTATOES AND POACHED EGG
This can easily be made vegetarian by using veggie haggis, which is remarkably close to real Scottish haggis. The good news is that it is also widely available in most supermarkets. This is also super quick to make - the main skill needed here is poaching an egg.
Once you understand how to make them, they are so easy to do and can be prepared in advance.
MAKES 4 PORTIONS
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
60ml (¼ cup) white vinegar
400g (14oz) frying potatoes, diced (Maris Piper work brilliantly)
450g (1lb) packet of haggis
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Bunch flat-leaf parsley, shredded (optional)
2 teaspoons oil
METHOD
1. Poach the eggs first. I know what you are thinking – you would have probably done them last. But you can poach eggs in advance using this method.
2. Take a medium pan of water and add a generous amount of vinegar, taste the water and if you don’t make a funny face you need to add more vinegar; it should be acidic. (One small note to this is don’t add any salt to the water - the salt affects the egg white and breaks it down.)
3. Carefully crack your eggs into four separate little cups or ramekins. To start cooking the eggs, take your little cup with the egg inside and slowly submerge the cup into the water. Once the cup is full of the hot water, carefully release the egg from the cup. By doing this, the egg is not dropped in the water, therefore the yolk is surrounded in the white. Add all your eggs the same way. One other thing to note - the water doesn’t need to boil.
4. After a few minutes, the eggs should be ready to remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Take them out one at a time and submerge into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. This also washes away the vinegar.
5. Now your eggs are ready, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
6. Heat oil in a frying pan.
7. Dice the potato and place into a frying pan. Fry until golden and crisp.
8. Crumble in the haggis and cook until it starts to crisp up too, then add the crushed garlic and cook out for a couple of minutes.
9. Meanwhile reheat your poached eggs in some simmering salted water.
10. Add the shredded flat-leaf parsley to the haggis and potato mix, if you are using it.
11. Split this mixture into four dishes and top with your beautiful runny poached egg.
