Haggis Pie

My mother was very proud of her Scottish heritage and this is from her recipe book. She called it Haggis Pie which, as it's not unlike a Shepherds Pie, made it more appealing to her grandchildren.

Haggis is the national dish of Scotland and, as such, has a starring role in the national celebration that is Burns night.

Held on 25th January each year, Burns night commemorates the life of the bard Robert Burns arguably best known for having penned Auld Lang Syne.

This recipe uses all the ingredients associated with a traditional Burns night supper which includes haggis, neeps (mashed turnip) and tatties (mashed potato).

Serves 4

approx 500g haggis

900g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 small turnip, peeled and diced

salt and pepper

grated nutmeg

30g fresh breadcrumbs

50g unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Steam or microwave the haggis according to the instructions given.

Boil the turnip and potatoes (in separate saucepans as the turnip will take longer to cook) and then drain, mash and season.

Spread a layer of mashed potato on the bottom and sides of an ovenproof dish. Cover this with a layer of the mashed turnip, then cut open the haggis and scoop this out on top. Finally top with the remainder of the mashed potato. Scatter with breadcrumbs and dot with butter.

Put into your preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until crisp on top.

And now a word about Haggis. For those of you who’ve never tried haggis, it is normally made with sheep’s offal mixed together with onions, oatmeal, seasonings and spices. This is all encased in a wrapping which ends up looking like a large, bulbous sausage. Haggis is easiest to find in January (because of Burns night) and freezes well, if you want it later in the year.