making a haggis

[Alan H]

all right, it's set to boil for three-four hours and should be all ready for tonights Beer and kilts night, assuming the skins don't break!. I halved the recipe I got online and it's tons....I'm gonna feed half the brewery, tonight. I know now that I can make about 1/3 of the recipe next month and it'll be plenty.

you can't get easily sheeps stomach here, so I hunted around online until I found a place that sells HUGE salami/sausage casings. Most casings are about as big around as your thumb. these are collagen casings (theoretically edible) and are four inches in diameter. They're GIGANTIC. Four casings costs twelve bucks. In theory you can pack 5 pounds of meat into one of these things. Well, betwen the .75 pounds of oatmeal and the whole diced onion and the .75 pound of ground lamb and the 1 pound of liver (couldn't get beef nor lamb hearts) and quarter pound of suet, well..do the math. The ingredients ran me another $27 at the grocery store, but this is enough to make two....I'm all set for Burns Night.

This haggis is a bit shy on oatmeal, I might make adjustments next time. I mean, there's a lot of oatmeal in there, but I should reduce the liver by about 1/3rd, and increase the amount of oatmeal by 1/3rd.

One of these salami skins is so big that it won't fit in my kettle. I'm going to have to make two, half size haggi for Burns Night, but if I use up most of the ingredients I've got, that means that everybody in the place is gonna have to eat a slice! James is going to have to stab TWO haggi!

BTW, this is without a doubt the MESSIEST thing I have ever made in the kitchen.

[way2fractious]

[QUOTE=Alan H;308101this is without a doubt the MESSIEST thing I have ever made in the kitchen.[/QUOTE]Pics... pics... pics...

[Jimmy the Celt]

Yes, lets see pics, Alan!

[GMan]

Yes, lets see pics, Alan!

And a report on the taste!

[McMurdo]

The first time I ever prepared haggis the skin broke, just keep adding water as it boils down and it should be fine.

And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Enjoy.

[Pour1Malt]

a wee tip oan cooking a haggis... arr Haggii!

the traditional way of cooking haggis is boiling it...

ai find boiled meat o any kind is awfy bland.... try this way tae prepare yur haggis instead...

Haggis Ferintosh

1 large Haggis (in paunch) pre cooked (boiled)
2 onions
300 g (about 1 1/2 cups) dried apricots (pitted)
300 g (about 1 1/2 cups) dried prunes (pitted)
1 beef bullion cube
1 1/2 cups Scotch whisky (preferably a peaty one)
lots of pepper
*several drams of single malt scotch for chef

1. Chop onions into quarters
2. Warm 1 cup whisky on stove with beef bullion cube until cube is dissolved.
3. while whisky is warming, place Haggis in large ovenproof dish and surround with onions, prunes, apricots
4. when beef cube is dissolved pour whisky over haggis and pepper well
5. bake, uncovered in oven at 180C/350F/gas 4 for 30 minutes or until haggis is dark golden on top. Heat can be lowered to extend cooking time. DO NOT let haggis overcook or burn, the paunch will split.
6. when it comes out of the oven pour remaining 1/2 cup Scotch over haggis.
7. Serve haggis with the prunes, apricots, onions, and also Skirlie, bashit neeps, mashed tatties, and single malt scotch.

Slaint mhath!

[Pour1Malt]

twa weel cooked Haggii Ferintosh!

[Alan H]

twa weel cooked Haggii Ferintosh!

OCH, mine are about 1/3rd that size! those look *great*!

All right, lessons learned....

1. split the load into two smaller haggi so that the tube isn't strained in my kettle and the strain doesn't cause it to break. The "unbroken' one was a lot more tasty that the stuff I sieved out of the water, or the stuff I got out of the innards of the one that broke.

2. chop up the liver a lot finer. I chopped it into a lot of 1/4 inch cubes this time and they should be even smaller.

3. a bit more suet. I tried to keep the fat to a minimum, but then it doesn't hold together as well. I won't douse the next one in pounds of it, but will use a bit more than what I grated in there, this time.

4. MORE WHISKY!!

5. more salt, in fact, more spices, generally. These were a bit on the bland side. Hmmm...P1M and Emma put fruit in theirs. Hmmmm.... that's a thought.

however, it all got eaten! I made an announcement to the crowd, generally, that there was haggis available to taste, what it is and why I had made it. I think about a dozen folks who aren't X-Markers came 'round for a forkful or two.

ok, now I see that P1M's recipes calls for BAKING the haggis. Most of the online recipes I've come across call for boiling it. I hate boiling stuff like this, it just yanks all the taste out of it, and these were rather bland. hmmmm..... gonna have to look into this.

[auld argonian]

I remember seeing Jacques Pepin on TV once and he was describing the physical changes that occur when things are cooked different ways...it was pretty remarkable.

Suprised, though, that no one over here in the 'States hasn't figured out a way to either toss the things on the grill or knock one up in one of those turkey deep-fryers.

WARNING!!!! As I think of it, a haggis would probably EXPLODE if you tried to cook it in a freestanding deep-fryer!!!! IT WAS A JOKE!!!! DON'T TRY IT!!!

Best

AA

[Frank McGrath]

twa weel cooked Haggii Ferintosh!

And what a dish!