Whilst back in the UK for three weeks over Christmas we talked about holding another Burns Night Supper and I wondered whether it might be possible to buy some actual haggis to bring back to France (illegally, as it’s a meat product).
I remember eating haggis in my twenties and liking it. At the time I lived in Leeds and would buy a real haggis, tied up with string, from the excellent food department of Lewis's on the Headrow. That’s not John Lewis, by the way, but Lewis's. It was a fabulous shop (to me it was almost the Harrod's of the North). The food department was in the basement with a black and white tiled floor and you could buy all manner of everyday or exotic foods. Between Lewis's, Schofield's, the old arcades and the fantastic markets Leeds was a wonderful place to shop in the 1970's.
I found several recipes online suggesting how to use haggis, including some for something called "chicken Balmoral" or "highland chicken" where it’s used as a stuffing for chicken breasts. I thought that sounded more interesting and possibly more tempting that just serving a dollop of it on the plate for anyone unfamiliar with haggis. I chose one on a blog called "Caroline's cooking" then noticed that there was also a recipe for homemade haggis, a version that has the offal elements reduced to a minimum. Real haggis contains the kind of offal that few people would enjoy nowadays, plus suet, onion, oatmeal and spices. This recipe has enough of a hint of offal without the scary bits.
I had a tin of pinhead oatmeal in the cupboard so brought that back to France after Christmas. For the meat element I used neck of lamb steaks which were reasonably priced and the chicken was ultimately wrapped in English smoked streaky bacon, now an illegal import from the UK! We had long since worked out that most of our friends were bringing their favourite meats and cheeses to France without any trouble so we thought we'd risk it ourselves. Nobody at the border took the slightest interest in the contents of our car or cool box. I imagine that after the early post Brexit flush of enthusiasm the border staff have bigger fish to fry than to search for the odd pound of bacon or sausages!
You can see the recipe for Chicken Balmoral
here and for the haggis stuffing
here. I modified both recipes and have to say, I wouldn’t make it again, but decided to write about it because our guests enjoyed it! For myself I decided that my haggis eating days are well behind me but you never know, you might like it! I also used some of the Oxo cube stock to make a whisky sauce or gravy to go with it. Once we got going making the haggis we only used two of the four small lamb steaks I had bought so saved the other two to make a lamb tagine. I enjoyed that much more!
The stuffed chicken filets can be prepared well in advance which makes it an ideal dinner party dish, as long as you like haggis! Alternatively stuff them with something else! The whisky sauce was nice.
Ingredients
For the Haggis
a large knob of butter plus 1 tblsp of vegetable oil (more if needed)
250g lamb steaks
½ tsp each of ground cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, allspice and dried thyme
1 onion
100g chicken livers (or other liver)
50g pinhead oatmeal
½ pint / 200ml chicken or beef stock made using a stock cube or stock pot (we made 400ml from one cube and used the remainder to create a whisky sauce)
salt and pepper
For the chicken Balmoral
4 medium sized chicken breasts
12-15 rashers smoked streaky bacon or unsmoked for a lighter flavour
For the whisky sauce
200ml chicken or beef stock (the remainder from making the haggis)
2 tblsp double cream
A good splash of whisky
Method
To make the haggis, cut the lamb steaks into cubes and mince in a food processor until medium/fine. Add the liver pieces and process again until combined.
Chop the peeled onion finely.
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook until softened.
Add the meat and spices, fry until the meat is browned. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the meat is cooked. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the oatmeal and cook for another 20-30 minutes. You can add more pepper and spices to taste as it cooks. Go easy at first. Set aside to cool.
Slash each chicken breast, open out and flatten slightly by bashing with a rolling pin. Place 1 tbslp of haggis in the middle of each one or enough to fill it adequately. Fold over to close the fillet.
Lay enough rashers of bacon to almost cover a chicken filet on a piece of cling film, place one on top and roll up, leaving the joins in the bacon underneath. Repeat with the other chicken filets and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes in the cling film on a tray.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan. Place the chicken filets on a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
To make the whisky sauce, put the stock into a small pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the cream and whisky and cook gently until heated through. Serve immediately with the chicken.
Traditionally this would be served with mashed potatoes and swede, plus a green vegetable such as beans or cabbage.
Serves 4.
