All Good Gifts

So far as I know, the only way to purchase authentic Haggis legally in the US is canned.  Not being terribly interested in canned meats, Will and I made up our own version a long time ago.  It makes a great entrance when piped to the table along with a bottle of Scotch, and always receives a rousing cheer at the end of the Address to the Haggis.  And it’s fun!

This year, thanks to Covid, it’s just the two of us, the weather is wretched, and we live in Tennessee (where it is all but impossible to find the ingredients (even when you aren’t shut-in seniors relying on grocery delivery!) So, as in the photo above, we are making a 2021 version which I will not share!

The recipe listed below is one we used for the years we lived in Pennsylvania, and which we will use again when this pandemic ends.

Spoiler Alert:  this is an approximation of Haggis and purists may take umbrage at the audacity of using that name.  But in all the years that we have cooked and served it to Scots on Burns Night, second helpings are rarely declined.

Haggis: (serves the neighborhood, or 8-10 guests on Burns Night)

1 lb. sage sausage

1lb lean ground lamb

1 lb. scrapple

1 large onion

1 large clove garlic

½ cup steel cut oatmeal, soaked in 2 c hot water for ½ hour, drained

1 egg

1/2 tsp. each salt, savory, allspice, coriander, sage, rosemary and thyme

¼ tsp. each black pepper and nutmeg

1 ½ oz. scotch

Combine all the ingredients.  Mix well and place in a baking bag.*  Remove as much air as possible from the bag, shaping the haggis into a compact round.  Bake for 1 hour at 350.

To serve, pierce the baking bag and scoop out the haggis.  Serve with mashed turnips and potatoes.

Sauté any leftovers with hash brown potatoes and serve with eggs for a great and hearty breakfast.

*Alternatively, have your butcher stuff the mixture into a large sausage casing.  In that case, steam the haggis for several hours.

This entry was posted by Glyn Ruppe-Melnyk.