Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

We wanted to celebrate Burns night, not so much because of an intense love for his poetry, but for the traditional food that gets eaten (and drunk) on that particular evening.

Haggis, neeps, tatties, oat cake and a wee dram

Careful scrutiny of supermarket shelves did not reveal any well hidden cans of haggis, scrabbling in the depths of the freezer chests risking loss of fingers to frostbite was equally unfruitful. Not being in the Scottish highlands meant we couldn't even go out and hunt the elusive McHaggis. There was nothing for it, then, but to go make one ourselves.

The likelihood of securing a sheep or lamb's pluck was highly unlikely, so the recipe chosen was a fairly "modern" one which used only minced beef/lamb and liver. Easy enough to find, and it was to be baked on a Bain Marie in the oven. Very civilised.

Whilst in the supermarket, after gathering the necessary meat products, I wondered if the meat department might have sausage casings to sell. After all, it might serve as the receptacle in which the haggis could cook - a little more authentic then a metal loaf pan, surely? No harm asking.
"Excuse me, do you sell sausage casings?" "Yes, we do, and what do you want them for?" the butcher asked. "Err.. to make a haggis..." "Haggis!" his eyes lit up; "I just made ours (meaning the store's).. what do you put in yours?" So the excited exchange went on. Onlookers browsing in the meat section either added remarks ranging from "sausage casing?  Don't they usually use a sheep's stomach?" to screwing up their faces at the mention of "liver, heart, lungs.." Long story short: butcher says to youth behind the counter - get that stuff I was using earlier.. in the back room - pack it and give it to this young lady.. and NO Charge, OK?" Thanking him, I made my way to the check out counter, grinning from ear to ear, clutching my prize.

It was only after getting home and laying out the ingredients for their photo-shoot that I realised that he had given me a real sheep's stomach (no wonder it smelt like we had let in a herd of sheep and goats) all cleaned and salted. Woohoo! a real sheep's stomach! How many people get excited over this?! I can make a real Haggis!

L-R: Liver & minced beef, sheep's stomach, Oatmeal, onion, spices

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound minced beef
• 1/4 pound beef / calf liver - cut into small pieces
• 1 onion, finely chopped or minced
• 1 cup steel cut oats, toasted in dry pan till dry but not brown
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• salt & generous amounts of black pepper
• 1 sheep's stomach - cleaned and prepared by your butcher

Stuffed sheep's stomach (before cooking)

Method:

1. Place meat and liver in a small pot, cover with cold water
2. Bring to boil and simmer till liver is cooked
3. Strain off the stock and reserve
4. Finely chop the liver and mix all remaining ingredients together, adding some reserved stock if mixture seems a bit dry
5. Test cook a small spoon to make sure it is well seasoned
6. Stuff the stomach, squeeze out as much air as possible and tie tightly with kitchen twine, leaving some room for expansion (fill about 2/3, but the stomach does have incredible capacity to stretch)
7. Place in large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and quickly reduce the heat, and simmer for 2.5 - 3h. High heat may cause the haggis to explode (really bad). check on the haggis occasionally, if it seems in danger of exploding, prick it with a needle to decompress.
8. Prepare the "neeps & tatties) - mashed turnips and potatoes according your own fav recipe.
9. Place cooked haggis on a large dish and bring to table (usually accompanied by bagpipes!)
10. Recite Robbie Burns "Ode to a Haggis", slashing the said haggis at the appropriate moment.
11. Enjoy the fruits of labour with neeps, tatties, and a wee dram of the finest Scottish single malt. Och Aye!