Haggis, Neeps & Tatties

Haggis, Neeps & Tatties

January 25th means two things to me. The first, and most important, is it's my youngest son's birthday. The second is that it's Burns Night, which means it's as good excuse as any to be stuffing my face with haggis and having a couple of malts. Let's get this straight – I'm not a Jock, but our northern cousins have had a massive influence on my life. Let's examine the evidence:
1. My mum is Scottish.
2. I married a Scot.
3. I got married in Scotland (see point 2).
4. At our wedding breakfast (see point 3) we served a haggis dish as a starter.
5. I love Edinburgh.
6. I have been known to savour a fine scotch of an evening.
And what's not to love about haggis, neeps & tatties? (Ok, if you're in any way squeamish maybe don't think about the lamb's heart, lung and kidneys encased in an animal's stomach. Try one of the very good vegetarian varieties if you want to dip your toe in the water first). For me, it's gotta be a really peppery haggis, served with buttery, creamy mash and hearty swede. Oh, and forget any gravy. The only sauce this dish needs is a dram of whisky and maybe a healthy squirt of brown sauce. Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
1lb haggis
3 large or 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium swede, peeled and cut into chunks
100g unsalted butter
2 tbsp single cream
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Cook the haggis per packet instructions (you didn't think I'd make my own, did you?)
2. Bring two pans of salted water to the boil and cook the potato and swede for about 15-20 minutes each until tender.
3. Separately drain both in a colander and allow to steam dry for about 5 minutes.
4. Gently melt the butter in a small pan.
5. Separately mash the potato and swede. Add the melted butter and cream to the mashed potato and gently stir in with a wooden spoon. Taste and season both veg if required.
6. Spoon a hearty portion of the cooked haggis onto a plate. Serve with the mashed veg and a nice glass of malt.