Haggis recipe #1 : The Holy Trinity of Haggis

As I mentioned yesterday, we've been trying out haggis for the first time this week, here at The Madhouse. Being a haggis-virgin (!) and not really knowing what to do with it, I decided to go with the simplest and most traditional recipe to try out the first of our Macsween Haggis products. (Click through to see the microwavable versions that we've been trying out.) Having flicked through the Macsween Haggis Bible looking for inspiration, I discovered that the classic haggis accompaniment is tatties and neeps - or potatoes and turnips/swede if you're not from Scotland.

Here's the original recipe from the Macsween Haggis Bible :

Classic Macsween haggis, neeps and tatties

Peel the vegetables. Dice the turnip and carrot into 1cm cubes and cut the potatoes in half. Place the prepared potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water and place the turnip and carrot in a separate pan of cold, salted water.

 Bring both pans of vegetables to the boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook until they are soft, about 20-25 mins. Test the vegetables with a sharp knife before draining, especially the turnips as they need to be nice and soft in order to mash properly.

Once the vegetables are cooked, drain them separately and allow all the steam and moisture to evaporate. This will ensure creamy potatoes and turnips that are not watery!

 Add the butter, hot milk, salt and pepper to the potato and mash until you have creamy, lump-free mashed potatoes. Mash the turnips & carrot, adding butter, salt and pepper to taste, it is recommended that you retain some texture, so don't mash until creamy. This allows for a good contrast to the smoother, creamier texture of the potatoes in the finished result.

Keep the mashed vegetables warm. Take the cooked haggis out of the oven, cut open and spoon into serving dishes, along with the mashed neeps and tatties.

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I tweaked the recipe slightly, making a root veg mash using potatoes, carrots and parsnips, as that's what was in the fridge. I put them all in the same pan and mashed the whole lot together at the end of the cooking time. I also followed a recipe idea that I'd seen on Chez Maximka blog, using clotted cream for the ultimate creamy mash, so I scooped a generous dollop of of Rodda's Clotted Cream into the finished mash, along with a small amount of butter, instead of the milk.

We weren't sure what to expect when we sampled the haggis but it's actually really nice - the kids said that it tasted like a cross between a beefburger and a sausage (whatever that tastes like !) and were happy to eat it.  The grown-ups also liked it, although we were unable to define the different spices and ingredients that were in it. So a unanimous thumbs up for the Traditional Haggis, but what would we make of the other two? Watch this space to find out !

Disclosure : I received a selection of MacSween Haggis goodies in order to write an honest review.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Cairnsmhor range of handbaked Scottish sweet and savoury treats

Celebrate Burns Night With Your Own Scottish Supper

Nick Nairn's recipe using Grant's Whisky