Scottish Haggis Traditional Pudding (Printable Version)

A rich Scottish dish blending spiced meats, oats, onions, served with mashed turnips and potatoes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Offal & Meats

01 - 1.1 lbs sheep's heart, liver, and lungs (or substitute with lamb or liver mince)
02 - 7 oz beef or lamb suet, finely chopped
03 - 10.5 oz lamb or beef mince (optional for texture)

→ Grains & Binders

04 - 5.3 oz steel-cut oats, toasted

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

05 - 2 medium onions, finely chopped

→ Liquids

06 - 1 cup beef stock

→ Seasonings

07 - 1 tsp ground black pepper
08 - 1 tsp ground coriander
09 - 1 tsp ground nutmeg
10 - ½ tsp ground allspice
11 - 1½ tsp salt

→ Casing

12 - 1 cleaned sheep's stomach or large sausage casing (or oven-proof pudding basin with foil cover)

→ Neeps & Tatties

13 - 1.1 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
14 - 1.1 lbs turnips (rutabaga), peeled and cubed
15 - 1.8 oz butter
16 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Steps:

01 - Rinse offal thoroughly and place in a large pot with cold water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 to 2 hours until tender. Remove offal from water, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid if desired. Let cool and mince finely.
02 - In a large bowl, mix the minced offal, chopped suet, toasted oats, chopped onions, and optional minced meat thoroughly.
03 - Pour in beef stock and reserved cooking liquid if using. Add pepper, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir until mixture is well combined and moist but not runny.
04 - Rinse casing well. Loosely fill with meat mixture to allow expansion and secure both ends with kitchen twine. Alternatively, spoon mixture into pudding basin and cover tightly with foil.
05 - Place casing or basin in a large pot of gently boiling water, ensuring water level stays below the top of casing/basin. Simmer gently for 2 hours, monitoring water levels regularly.
06 - Boil potatoes and turnips separately for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash each separately with butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.
07 - Remove haggis carefully, let rest for a few minutes, then slice open. Serve hot alongside mashed turnips and potatoes.

# Expert Insights:

01 -
  • It tastes far richer and more complex than you'd expect, with warm spices that linger on your tongue.
  • Once you make it, you'll understand why it's survived centuries in Scottish kitchens—it's genuinely delicious and endlessly forgiving.
  • Serving it feels like sharing a piece of history, and people always remember a meal built on such honest, purposeful cooking.
02 -
  • Haggis expands significantly during cooking, so never fill your casing more than three-quarters full or it will burst—I learned this the hard way and spent an hour scrubbing the pot.
  • The texture should be slightly loose and binding, never dry or overly wet; if yours feels too dense after mixing, add a splash more stock, and if it's too loose, toast a handful of extra oats and fold them in.
  • Don't skip toasting the oats—it genuinely changes the flavor from heavy to warm and nutty, and prevents a gluey, sad haggis.
03 -
  • Reserve some of the offal cooking liquid instead of using all beef stock—it deepens the savor and creates a more authentic flavor that feels like generations of kitchens.
  • If your casing splits during cooking (it happens), don't panic; the mixture will still cook beautifully, though it'll be slightly looser. Scoop it into a bowl and serve it as a rustic pudding instead of sliced—it tastes exactly the same.
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