
This has to be the most well-known Scottish dish – it even has the grand title of being Scotland’s National Dish. Many countries have similar dishes using up the offal of sheep and lambs, but Haggis has stood the test of time. It was first mentioned in 1615 in an English cookbook by writer and poet Gervase Markham. The dish was developed out of necessity, as nothing went to waste on an animal. I have travelled the world showcasing Haggis. This recipe ia suitable for Burns’ Suppers on January 25, or at any time of the year.
Ingredients
1 lamb’s/sheep’s pluck (liver, lungs, and heart)
1 sheep’s stomach
3 white onion (chopped)
100g / 3 ½ oz oatmeal
200g / 7oz rolled oats
200g / 7oz suet
25g / 1 oz butter
1tsp salt
4tsp ground black pepper
4tsp all spice
String
Instructions
Sort and wash the lamb stomach, leave in a bowl of salted water and pop in the fridge overnight. A butcher can help with the casing (or order an artificial casing online). Prepare the pluck; rinse in cold running water, place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil on the stove, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 hours. Toast the oatmeal in the oven for 10 minutes. In a separate pan slowly cook and soften the chopped onions with butter. Once the oats have cooled, mix with the spices, salt, and suet. Remove the pluck from the cooking liquor (but make sure to keep the cooking liquor for later use). Cut the cooked heart, liver, and lung up into smaller pieces, making sure to remove the windpipe fat and gristle. Pop all the cooked meat into a food processor with the onions, but don’t break it down too much as you want to keep some of the texture. Add the suet and oatmeal mix, as well as the cooking liquor – make the mix a little runny, with a lava type consistency. Tie one end of the stomach, before carefully adding the mix. Next, bunch the stomach up into a ball of Haggis. Starting at the bottom, tie some string around to make smaller Haggis balls and make sure to get out as much air as possible, but don’t fill too much as this mix will expand during cooking. Then, boil them in the same cooking liquor used to cook the pluck – top up with more water if necessary. Finally, add the Haggis, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours.
Ri do Shlàinte!
Gary
www.garymacchef.com
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