Haggis for life!
In this house, haggis is for life not just for Burns Night. It is something that we eat throughout the year when we are looking for something full of flavour, spice and comfort, yet is easy to cook and can be served in a myriad ways. 
Haggis is so easily available now (in the UK at least, I think America is no longer banning it either), and there are plenty of varieties including vegetarian, wild boar and Moroccan spiced. I’ve even had a couple of examples of Lancashire haggis, so it pays to try a few and find the one you like. I actually really like the veggie version, although I haven’t used it here, and I think you wouldn’t miss the meat in this dish at all if you wanted to use one.
This haggis pie is like a shepherds pie i.e. no pastry bottom. I think that there is enough going on, but if you fancy going ‘full pie’ then by all means add it. I advise that you blind bake it first to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.
Topless haggis pie!
This makes a large pie to serve up to six people. You can cook it in a large oven dish or split it and freeze half for another day. That’s exactly what I did. So I’ve served up half in this lovely Mason Cash Baker’s Authority pie dish which Silver Mushroom kindly gave me last year.* It’s nice and deep so you get lots of filling, and if you are making a pastry pie the scalloped edge is a nice touch. Plus the light blue sits beautifully in my kitchen and I like the old school vibe it has. 
Not being Scotish, we don’t celebrate Burns Night, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy haggis on a cold January eve, and I do hope that you enjoy this as well.
Serve with lots of of gravy 😉
Winter food doesn't get much better than this! Haggis pie with a sunshine carrot top for Burns Night, or indeed any night!
Ingredients
- 450g (1lb) haggis (the size of most found in supermarkets)
- 1 brown onion, cut into chunky pieces
- 250g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 250g new potatos, scrubbed and quartered
- 1kg carrots, scrubbed and sliced
- 500g turnip or swede, peeled and cubed
- 300ml stock (try lamb or beef for meat, vegetable or mushroom for vegetarian)
- Unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the haggis following the instructions provided. It takes around 70 minutes in the oven, giving you plenty of time to get on with the other steps.
- Wash the new potatoes and chop into chunks approx. 2cm. Drop in to a pan of boiling water and simmer until cooked. Drain.
- In a second large saucepan of boiling water, added the chopped carrot and turnip/swede and simmer until soft. Drain and return to the pan. Mash with up to 40g of butter until smooth. Season well. Place to one side.
- Heat the oven to 200c (or simply leave on after cooking the haggis)
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying or saute pan. On a medium low heat cook the onions until soft and coloured - this may take up to 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry for two more minutes.
- Add the cooked haggis, breaking it up as you do, and the cooked potatoes. Mix well.
- Stir in the hot stock, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Check and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
- Transfer the haggis mixture to an oven safe dish with deep sides.
- Cover with the carrot mash and smooth over the top with a fork.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 15-25 minutes until the filling bubbles.
- Serve with gravy and peas.
Notes
Add bacon lardons for an additional layer of flavour. Instead of gravy, you could make a cream and whiskey sauce to serve over your veg. Indulgent but very nice!
This is pretty filling, so if you can’t fit in a huge pudding, try these cranachan shortbread with a cuppa after you’ve washed up!
*PR sample
Happiness is a haggis in every pie! Pin for later
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