# Haggis and other Scottish stuff



## xmascarol1 (Jan 26, 2008)

Well, last night I had a Robbie Burns night (Jan. 24) and made haggis. It was the first time I'd ever had it and of course didn't have a sheep's stomach to use. Here's what I did. I went to the butcher and he sold me a sausage casing that would be used for making souse or some other large cased sausage. I soaked that. In my haggis I put 1/2 # each of calf liver, lamb and venison. I minced those up in my food processor. Added 4 oz. beef suet, grated, 1 cup toasted oatmeal, 1 t. nutmeg, 1 t. ground pepper, 1/2 t. red pepper flakes, salt ,1 egg, and a little juice from the liver, which I had cooked for a minute or so before mincing it. I stuffed the casing with the mixture and tied it. Oh, it so lovely looking. Just about the right size for a mock sheep's stomach. I put it in my crockpot with just a little water. I cooked it all day on low w/o lifting the lid. Actually all guests had seconds on it. I was pleasantly surprised about that. I thought it might turn out to be one of those bad news ethnic recipes that we suffer through like Swedish lutefisk.

Of course, I made tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips), bannocks (oatcakes). Homemade pickalilly and picked beets, lemon curd, gooseberry jam, red currant jam, and topped off with a sherry trifle, and some Laphroig single malt Scotch. Everything was complete with poetry readings, "Ode to a Haggis" and other poems, then to the music room for singing some of the old Burns songs and ending with Auld Lang Syne. Only thing we didn't have was the bagpipe.


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## Robo410 (Jan 26, 2008)

I've had really well made haggis in the UK and once over here.  My first impression was, good but if you fried it, it would be even better!  I've gotten over that, but I did fry it once and it was good that way too.  

If you know the mid atlantic area, you may have come across scrapple...kinda a pork haggis rather than a sheep one, but same kind of idea in using up all you can of an animal.  Waste not want not!

GLad to hear you are keeping the traditions!


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## YT2095 (Jan 26, 2008)

never heard of beef or venisen used in a haggis!???

it`s Always sheep and the offal, liver lungs kidneys the fat and of course the muscle meat. then the oats onion and pepper.
neeps and tatties are must-have served with it


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## xmascarol1 (Jan 26, 2008)

*offal in haggis*

We can't get offal here, but I was imagining that in the old days the Scots did what i did, use what I had which was as above.  Essentially it's just a meat loaf steamed.  And yes, I did put 2 onions in it too.  Also, I forgot to say, I also made cockaleekie soup too.  It was okay, but not my favorite whick soup flavor.  There again, they use what they have.  (I live quite a few miles from a store, and as the snow is deep, trips to the store are limited.


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## Hoot (Jan 26, 2008)

Always wanted to try haggis. I am very familiar with scrapple and if haggis is similar, then I reckon I am gonna have to try haggis. Got a friend in Kentucky by the name of MacDonald. I wonder if he knows anything about making it. He and his wife are both excellent cooks. I will let y'all know how it turns out.


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## ErikC (Jan 27, 2008)

Sounds like you went to a lot of work, well worth it for a Robbie Burns' Night! And I love Laphroig, too, even though I am more partial to Ardbeg and Lagavulin.

I did not see Cock-a-Leekie soup on the menu...I had heard that was fairly common for this celebration. Any particular reason you didn't make it, or were you simply overworked already as it sounds like ?


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## csalt (Jan 27, 2008)

Here's a recipe for baked haggis.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1675/baked-haggis.jsp


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## xmascarol1 (Jan 27, 2008)

*cockaleekie soup*

Well, I did have cockaleekie soup too.  I did mention it a couple of posts above yours.  It was lovely but not as good as regular homemade chicken noodle.  I'll have to try your recommendations for another single malt.


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## xmascarol1 (Jan 27, 2008)

*haggis recipe*

csalt, I couldn't find the recipe, just the directions for baking it.  What are the ingredients for the baked haggis.


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## che'mark (Jan 27, 2008)

Your Haggis sounds great, I could live without the offal parts. My understanding of "tatties and neeps" are as you said mashed potatoes and mashed turnips served separately. "Neeps and tatties" on the other hand are potatoes and turnips mashed together. The turnips are usually Yellow turnips or Swedes (Rutabagas) rather than our American style turnips.


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## xmascarol1 (Jan 27, 2008)

*neeps*

You know, I had already bought the white turnips when I read they could have been Swedes, which I prefer.  Actually, I suppose there's probably not much taste difference, but I prefer the thicker texture of Swedes and the color is lovely too.  I'm going to take the leftover haggis and fry it up with scrambled eggs for breakfast tomorrow.


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## auntdot (Jan 27, 2008)

We have probably had haggis over 100 times.  have been in Scotland many times.

It is made from the heart, lung and liver of the sheep And it does not taste of the liver (although I love liver haggis should not taste that way).

In this country, where we cannot use lung, most 'haggis' we have tasted is too livery, if there is such a word.

Am looking forward to my next plate of haggis at The Last Drop in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh some time later this year.  Oh yes, and it is served with neeps and tatties and they are deinitely not mixed together.


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## che'mark (Jan 27, 2008)

I've been trying to get this neeps and tatties vs. tatties and neeps thing sorted out for a long time. A recipe called Orkney Clapshot is a mixture of the two with cheese on top.


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## RevW (Sep 21, 2022)

xmascarol1 said:


> Well, last night I had a Robbie Burns night (Jan. 24) and made haggis. It was the first time I'd ever had it and of course didn't have a sheep's stomach to use. Here's what I did. I went to the butcher and he sold me a sausage casing that would be used for making souse or some other large cased sausage. I soaked that. In my haggis I put 1/2 # each of calf liver, lamb and venison. I minced those up in my food processor. Added 4 oz. beef suet, grated, 1 cup toasted oatmeal, 1 t. nutmeg, 1 t. ground pepper, 1/2 t. red pepper flakes, salt ,1 egg, and a little juice from the liver, which I had cooked for a minute or so before mincing it. I stuffed the casing with the mixture and tied it. Oh, it so lovely looking. Just about the right size for a mock sheep's stomach. I put it in my crockpot with just a little water. I cooked it all day on low w/o lifting the lid. Actually all guests had seconds on it. I was pleasantly surprised about that. I thought it might turn out to be one of those bad news ethnic recipes that we suffer through like Swedish lutefisk.
> 
> Of course, I made tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips), bannocks (oatcakes). Homemade pickalilly and picked beets, lemon curd, gooseberry jam, red currant jam, and topped off with a sherry trifle, and some Laphroig single malt Scotch. Everything was complete with poetry readings, "Ode to a Haggis" and other poems, then to the music room for singing some of the old Burns songs and ending with Auld Lang Syne. Only thing we didn't have was the bagpipe.


Sausage casing - that's brilliant!  And your recipe has exactly the 3 ingredients I have At The Same Time for the 1st time ever - lamb, lamb liver and venison. My partner from the UK believes I don't make haggis often enough -maybe this one will persuade him to participate in the Speycock song, which features a lucky rooster, cockaleekie soup (and taken for granted; flyfishing in the rain) but no bagpipes. Thank you!


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