Don’t be scared of haggis – GAVIN AITCHISON offers some timely suggestions, from the traditional to the surprising (Enchilaggis anyone?)

FEW nations can pay such fitting tribute to their national bard as the Scots do to Robert Burns.

Every year on his birthday (next Saturday, January 25) Scots around the world gather in his honour, recite his works, raise a glass of whisky in his memory – and tuck into a plateful of haggis.

In the 12 years since I moved south from Edinburgh to Yorkshire, I’ve never failed to find locals willing to try the whisky and even to take a shot at the poetry, trying to get to grips with Tam O’Shanter and sympathising with the wee sleekit, cow’rin tim’rous beastie of To A Mouse.

The haggis, though, remains divisive.

Cowards flee from this legendary dish. Even those who do try it do so with trepidation.

But those who run scared are missing a treat. Today’s haggis (the plural is the same as the single) are wholesome, tasty and remarkably versatile.

They’re typically made with a mixture of cooked beef and lamb, oatmeals, onions and spices and a simple rule to follow is that anything you can do with mince or with sausages, you can do with haggis.

So although the traditional presentation remains the favourite at Burns Suppers, there are plenty of other options too: sandwiches, pastas, pizzas – the list is endless.

Below you will find a few of my favourites which you may wish to try if you have Scottish friends or family to impress next weekend.

• These recipes work equally well with meat or vegetarian haggis.

 

The traditional option

Haggis, neeps and tatties remains the classic choice. Boil then mash 1kg of potatoes and stir in some milk or butter. Dice 1kg of swede or turnip and boil for 25 minutes.

Drain, and allow the steam to clear for a few minutes.

Mash roughly, retaining some rugged texture. Serve with a generous portion of haggis. Novices may find the dish dry – it can be enlivened with whisky sauce, butter or a moderate amount of horseradish sauce.

 

Haggis in the hole (serves four)

Heat the oven to 230C. Cut a 454g haggis into slices, each about 1cm (around half an inch) thick. Cut the slices in half, to make semi-circles.

Sieve 120g of plain flour into a bowl. Beat four eggs and measure out 150ml of milk, and gradually add both to the flour. Whisk until you have a smooth batter. Add salt, pepper and some fresh or dried rosemary.

Pour vegetable oil into a roasting tin, enough to cover the surface.

Heat it in the oven until it is very hot. Don’t rush it – the hotter the better. Arrange the haggis slices evenly in the sizzling oil, pour on the batter and cook for 30 minutes until the batter is puffy and golden.

Serve with fried onions and new potatoes.

 

Enchilaggis

A very lazy but very rewarding winter option. Simply buy a prepackaged enchilada kit and follow the instructions, but use crumbled haggis instead of the mince. Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Haggis salad (serves four)

Take half a 454g haggis. Cut into 1cm-thick slices, then cut each slice into six pieces.

Peel and core two large pears then thinly slice into rings. Thinly slice half a cucumber. Blanche the slices in hot water for 30 seconds then arrange on kitchen paper to dry.

Cut 100g of feta cheese into cubes. Poach one egg per person.

Place a poached egg in the centre of each plate. Surround it with a ring of cucumber slices. Surround that with a ring of pear slices.

Surround that with a second ring of cucumber slices. Arrange the haggis and feta pieces evenly between the plates.

 

Haggis stack (serves 4)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Slice a 454g haggis into six slices. Slice four large tomatoes, horizontally, into thick slices. Cut two mozzarella balls into slices. Place foil on a baking tray and place two slices of haggis on it.

Atop each haggis slice, place a tomato slice, followed by a mozzarella slice.

On top of that place another haggis slice, followed by another tomato slice, followed by another mozzarella slice. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Slice two bread rolls in half and toast. Place a buttered half on each plate, and carefully place a stack on top.

 

Haggis lasagne (serves four)

Preheat oven to 180C. Set aside 200-250g of lasagne sheets. Remove a 454g haggis from its case and break it up with your fingers or a fork. Add four medium tomatoes, chopped finely, including as much of the juice as possible. Add two teaspoons of tomato puree. Place a third of the mixture in a buttered lasagne dish, and cover with lasagne sheets. Repeat twice more, to give you three layers of haggis mix, each topped with lasagne sheets.

For the bechamel sauce, melt 50g of butter in a pan and add 50g of plain flour, stirring to make a roux. Add the milk gradually, stirring continually, until you have a smooth sauce. Add a couple of pinches of pepper or ground nutmeg, pour over the lasagne, then top with grated cheese to taste. Bake for 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the lasagne soft.

 

Stuffed peppers

Take 200g of haggis and one pepper per person. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Grill lightly, with the outsides of the peppers facing upwards. Remove from the heat, turn them over, fill with haggis, and return to the grill. Grated cheese or a thin layer of mustard can give an extra kick

 

.• Most major supermarkets stock haggis, particularly in advance of Burns Night. M&K Butchers in Bishopthorpe Road and Henshelwoods Deli, off Newgate Market, are also reliable sources for Macsween’s, viewed by many Scots as the best of the major haggis-makers.