Recipe: homemade haggis with mash, turnip confit and beef sauce

Celebrate St Andrew’s Day tomorrow with this update on classic haggis, neeps and tatties.

Scotland’s national dish is the perfect comfort food for this time of year, but have you ever tried making your own? We asked Callum Gilmour, head chef at The Saint in St Andrews, for his tried and tested recipe.

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Homemade haggis with mash, turnip confit and beef

 
 

Ingredients (serves 4):

For the haggis:

  • 1 kg lamb plucks

  • 220g pinhead oats

  • 400g white onions, dice

  • 300g beef suet

  • 10g cayenne pepper

  • 10g nutmeg

  • 20g garlic powder

  • 30g ground all spice

  • 30g cracked black pepper

  • 30g ground sea salt

For the mash:

  • 8 white potatoes

  • 20ml double cream

  • 30g unsalted butter

For the confit turnip:

  • ½ a whole turnip, cut into squares

  • 50g duck fat

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

  • 4 cloves of garlic, roughly crushed

For the beef sauce:

  • 200ml beef stock

  • 50ml red wine

  • 20ml whisky

  • 20ml cream

Method:

  1. Place lamb plucks in a pot and cover with water – bring to boil and simmer for around 1 hour. Take lamb plucks out of water and leave to cool. Fry onions in a pan until golden and add all the spices and pepper. Add the oats and enough to cooking liquid from the lamb to cover the oats. Grate the lamb plucks and add to the pan. Mix together thoroughly and taste season with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Wrap in Clingfilm and shape into rugby ball.

  2. Next, make the mash potato. Peel the potatoes, place in a pot and cover with cold water. Boil until soft and then drain. Add butter and the cream and then mash with a potato ricer or hand held masher. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. To make the confit turnip, warm the duck fat until it has turned to a liquid. Place turnip, herbs and garlic in tray and cover with fat. Cover with tin foil and put in oven at 120°C and cook for around 40 minutes. Baste the turnip twice, once after 15 and again after 30 minutes.

  4. Next, make the beef sauce. Place the wine and beef stock into pan, bring to boil then reduce on a low heat for 5-8 minutes. Add the cream and reduce until the sauce starts to thicken. Add whisky and season to taste.

  5. To serve, first place the mash and confit turnip on the plate before topping with the haggis and finally the beef sauce.

 
 
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