Scottish Haggis Traditional Dish (Printable)

A hearty Scottish dish featuring spiced meats, oats, and onions, complemented by mashed potatoes and turnips.

# Ingredient List:

→ Offal & Meats

01 - 1.1 lb 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 - 0.5 tsp ground allspice
11 - 1.5 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 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
14 - 1.1 lb turnips (swede/rutabaga), peeled and cubed
15 - 1.8 oz butter
16 - Salt and pepper to taste

# Directions:

01 - Rinse the offal thoroughly. Place in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 1 to 2 hours until tender. Remove from water, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid if desired. Cool and finely mince the offal.
02 - In a large bowl, mix the minced offal, finely chopped suet, toasted oats, chopped onions, and optional minced meat until evenly combined.
03 - Pour in the beef stock and reserved cooking liquid if using. Incorporate ground black pepper, coriander, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Stir until the mixture is moist but holds shape.
04 - If using casing, rinse well and fill loosely with the mixture, leaving room for expansion. Tie ends securely with kitchen twine. If using a pudding basin, spoon mixture inside and cover tightly with foil.
05 - Place the filled casing or basin in a large pot of boiling water, ensuring water does not cover the top. Maintain gentle simmer for 2 hours, checking water level throughout.
06 - Meanwhile, boil potatoes and turnips separately until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, mash each vegetable with butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Carefully remove the haggis from the pot and allow to rest briefly. Slice open and serve hot accompanied by mashed neeps and tatties.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It's deeply satisfying in a way that feels special—you're making something with real history and guts, literally.
  • The spice blend is perfectly balanced so nothing overpowers; instead, flavors layer and deepen with each bite.
  • Once you nail it, you can feed six people something genuinely impressive without pretension.
02 -
  • Do not skip the long simmer of the offal; it makes all the difference between tough and silky.
  • Toast the oats beforehand—raw oats taste flat and mineral, but toasted ones bring warmth and prevent the mixture from feeling gluey.
  • Fill the casing loosely, not tightly; haggis needs room to expand, and an overstuffed one can burst.
  • Keep your stock and cooking liquid warm when you mix; cold liquids can seize the suet into greasy lumps.
03 -
  • Keep everything cold until the moment you mix; warm suet becomes greasy and ruins the texture.
  • If your mixture seems dry after mixing, add reserved cooking liquid a splash at a time until it's moist like stuffing, not like soup.
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