OK, Then, How Do I Make One? [ Top ]
Our Club
relies on a Club member to prepare the Haggis for our Burns suppers.
We have held Haggis making seminars (If you have the guts for it,
we have the stomach for it) in the past. Haggis is not difficult
to prepare, but obtaining the proper ingredients can be a problem.
A mixture of lamb or mutton with other variety meats will produce
a Haggis that is very close to the Real Thing.
By far, the biggest difficulty is in obtaining a sheep's stomach for
use as the casing. You will probably have to locate a sheep farmer
or a butcher specializing in lamb and mutton in order to obtain one.
An alternative that may be satisfactory for a less formal, or private
Burns Supper would be to make a
Bowl Haggis: This is Haggis prepared
without the traditional casing and steamed in a bowl.
We make bowl Haggis for our private, home Burns Suppers. It tastes the
same. Other alternatives worth trying are to ask a butcher or sausage
maker for some of the largest sausage casing available -- the size used
for salami or bologna might be suitable. Some British import shops have
or can obtain pudding skins, which also might work.
But, for a formal, public Burns supper only the Genuine Article will
suffice, and the traditional stomach casing must be hunted down and
obtained.
Haggis has an undeserved reputation, probably because of all the scary
things people have heard about it. Properly made Haggis is delightful,
with a flavor reminiscent of liver and onions but with more
spices. A good Haggis has a loose but dry consistency. The proper
way to enjoy Haggis is to put a heap on your plate, then douse it with
a dram of your favorite Whisky. Ours is Laphroaig.