Haggis

Haggis is the national dish of Scotland, composed of a forcemeat of the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep mixed with oatmeal, well seasoned and put into bags made from the paunch of the sheep. The haggis is then boiled for 2–3 hours and left to get cold. When required for use it is simmered again for about an hour and is traditionally served with mashed turnips, potatoes and whisky.
Ingredients
Major ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) beef or lamb heart, cut into 2 inch-wide strips
- 1 pound (450 g) beef or lamb liver
- ½ pound (225 g) lamb stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 1 ½ cups peeled and finely-chopped yellow onion
- 4 tablespoons Scotch whiskey
- 1 tablespoon eggnog
- 2 cups oatmeal, toasted in a 375°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes
Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, whole
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Casing
- 3 beef CAPS (Talk to a sausage shop about these)
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon salt for soaking
Steps
- Put beef heart in a covered 4-quart (about 3–3.5 litre) pot. Just cover with cold water. Simmer, covered, 1 hour 10 min.
- Add beef liver and lamb stew meat. Cover. Simmer 20 min.
- Remove contents. Cool. Reserve 1 cup liquid. Grind all meat coarsely.
- Mix all ingredients except beef caps, vinegar and salt for soaking in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Rinse beef caps in cold water. Turn inside out. Soak in 2 quarts cold water with the salt and vinegar for ½ hour. Drain. Rinse well inside and out.
- Divide meat mixture into three parts. Fill beef caps. Tie ends with string: two tied at one end only, the third at both ends.
- Prick all over with corn holders or a sharp fork. Steam 1 hour 20 min.
- Slice. Serve with beef or lamb gravy.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Haggis” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-19, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Haggis, neeps an tatties.jpg by Stuart Mudie, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






