Discover the secrets behind authentic haggis ingredients and learn how to make a delicious version at home despite FDA restrictions. Find substitutes, tips, and tricks for a traditional taste without the rare ingredients.
Real haggis isn’t available in the US, because it uses bits of the sheep on which the FDA looks with horror. This is my best attempt so far. Some key differences:
– I’ve given up on finding lamb lights and pluck, so it’s much less offally than it should be.
– I used regular “old fashioned” oats instead of pinhead oats (apparently the same thing as steel-cut oats). The latter would probably give it a more authentic texture. You might want to try adding them after the grinding stage rather than before, as I do here.
– Even in Scotland, beef bung (or cap) is used as a common substitute for sheep stomach. You don’t eat the haggis casing anyway, so it doesn’t make much difference. You can get them online at most sausage supply sites (e.g. sausagemaker.com).
– This version is quite sausage-like, and binds together more than regular haggis, because I like it that way. If you prefer it to be looser, skip the binding step (step 6).
- Yield: 3 haggises
- Difficulty: Hard
- Total: 5 hours
- Active: 2 hours
Ingredients (12)
- 1 beef bung
- 1/2 lb “old fashioned” oats
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 lbs lamb meat, in chunks
- 1 lb beef liver, in large chunks
- 1 tbsp allspice
- 2.5 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
- 1 lb lard (suet would be better, if available)
- 1 cup beer
Instructions
- Rinse the beef bung thoroughly, inside and out. Soak in lukewarm water for at least 1 hour.
- Toast the oats on a cookie sheet in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Saute the onion in the butter until translucent, and allow to cool.
- Mix the spices, onion, lamb, liver, oats and lard in a large ziplock bag. Put in the freezer until quite cold (even stiff) but not frozen.
- Grind the meat mixture using a large die. If you don’t have a grinder, chopping everything up into very small pieces might do the trick. Use less beer in the next stage if you go this route.
- Put the meat mixture in a Kitchen Aid on low setting for one minute. Add the beer, and mix on medium for one minute, until everything gets sticky.
- Cut the bung into three equal pieces. One will be closed at one end, open at the other, while the other two will be open at both ends. Sew one end of the two-ended pieces shut with a needle and (strong) thread.
- Stuff each bung bag with the meat mixture. Squeeze out all the air, but leave some slack in the bag so that the contents can expand. Sew each bag shut.
- Unless you have a big Burns Supper planned, you should probably put two of the haggises in the freezer at this point.
- Bring a large pot of water to a simmer, and add the haggis. Simmer gently for at least three hours.
- Serve ceremonially with tatties and neeps (mashed potatoes and turnips).
