Haggis Recipe #1 - for the traditional taste buds

Mock Haggis Recipe (for modern taste buds)

1 large sausage casing 5 cups dry coarse or steelcut oatmeal 1 lb. (.5 kg) chopped mutton suet 1 lb. (.5 kg) lamb or venison liver, boiled and minced 2 cups stock sheep heart, liver and kidney, boiled and minced 1 large chopped onion 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp. allspice 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper This is the most traditional of all Scottish dishes, eaten on Burns Night (January 25th, the birthday of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns, 1759-1796) and at Hogmanay (New Year's Eve). It is really a large round sausage; the skin being a sheep's paunch. The finest haggis of all is made with deer liver, served to the skirl of the pipes, cut open with a traditional 'sgian dubh' (black stocking knife) and accompanied by small glasses of neat Scotch whisky. This recipes dates from 1856. Toast oatmeal slowly until crisp. Mix all ingredients (except stomach bag) together. Add stock. Fill bag to just over half full, press out air, and sew up securely. Have ready a large pot of boiling water. Prick the haggis all over with a large pin so it doesn't burst. Boil slowly for 4-5 hours. Serve with clapshot.

1/2 lb (225 gm) liver 1/2 lb (225 gm) minced beef 2 med. sized onions Approx. 1 cup (5o ml) of water in which liver has been boiled 6 oz (175 gm) medium oatmeal 6 oz (175 gm) shredded suet Pinch grated nutmeg Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch pepper 1 teaspn salt Method: Boil the liver for five minutes. Drain and put aside to cool. Toast the oatmeal in a dry frying pan or in the oven until it begins to turn a pale brown. Peel and mince the onions and the liver. Mix all the ingredients together with the seasoning and stir in some of the water in which the liver has been boiled. The mixture should be thoroughly moist but not wet. Have ready a greased basin large enough to give the mixture room to swell. Cover with greaseproof paper and a cloth and boil or steam for three hours. Note: If your mince looks to be on the fatty side then cut down the quantity of suet to four ounces (ioo gm). Serving Suggestion: The traditional way to serve haggis is with mashed potatoes and turnips, 'tatties and neeps', as they are called in Scotland and to give the meal a truly Scottish flavour you should serve a glass of whisky along with it. Let the mock haggis go cold and then slice it and heat it through in a frying pan (without fat) until golden brown on both sides. This way it is very good with poached eggs and even with chips.