We do love a good shindig when it comes to Burns Night. As this year we sadly can’t celebrate in style with our dinner, piper and ceilidh band, our Executive Chef Paul Grant, is bringing you the recipe for our ‘Chieftain o’ the Puddin’-Race’ dish that is sometimes on our menu in 1236 at the Cave Bar.
A beautiful dish you can make at home for two people with neep puree, roasted veg and the all important whisky sauce so you can address your haggis and raise a dram to the Bard of Ayrshire on his birthday.
Firstly, ensure you get a great local haggis beasty to celebrate Burns Night. We source ours from Presly & Co, only a couple of miles away in our village of Oldmeldrum. It’s a relationship the hotel has had with them for many years. Head to your local butcher for the best available haggis as it will show through in the final product and taste.
HAGGIS
For this recipe, we are using a haggis chieftain which only requires a light seasoning of salt and pepper, a rub of oil olive and takes approximately 15 mins in a pre heated fan oven at 180 degrees. However, just follow the instructions for your haggis depending on weight and size.
NEEP PUREE
Ingredients
1 medium turnip
1 small onion
200ml double cream
100g butter
METHOD – Firstly peel and slice the turnip and onion into thin slices. Then in a heavy based sauce pan add a table spoon of olive oil and lightly sweat the onion and turnip till coloured and almost cooked, lightly season with salt and pepper. Pour over the cream, add the butter, and finish cooking. Then using a food processor blend until smooth and rich. Season to taste.
WHISKY SAUCE
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 sprig of thyme
1 small onion (diced)
1 ltr Chicken stock
100 ml of whisky
Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
METHOD – In a sauce pan over a medium heat sweat the onions and thyme till translucent and soft. Add the whisky and flambe (be careful!) when the flames have died add the Dijon mustard and chicken stock. Reduce until you have a thick and nice sauce consistency.
TATTIES
Nothing too complicated here but support your local greengrocer if you can or even the butcher may be selling local tatties just now. Poach in seasoned water until tender and then season with a good helping of butter, salt and pepper. Use a masher or a wooden spoon to make them soft and creamy.
SIDE OF ROASTED VEG
Ingredients
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 red onion
1 small butternut squash
1 small celeriac
4 medium carrots
1 small bunch of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
METHOD – First peel and cut the onion into wedges and the vegetables into chunky cubes, coat with a few tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, rosemary and seasoning. Place the vegetables in a roasting dish and cook at fan 180c till golden and tender – usually around 30 minutes.
TO SERVE – put your neep puree on the plate with the haggis on top. Add a good spoonful of buttery mash and the roasted veg on the side. Serve the whisky sauce in a gravy boat to pour over. We always add a little pipette of local whisky from our neighbours at Glen Garioch – their Founders’ Reserve is perfect for this and really enhances the dish, bringing a fabulous whisky flavour to the finish. If you don’t have a pipette just add a splash of whisky onto the haggis.
ADDRESS TO A HAGGIS
Then address your haggis with Rabbie Burn’s famous words from ‘Address to a Haggis’ – Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race! Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm : Weel are ye wordy o’a grace, As lang’s my arm.
From all the team at Meldrum House – Slainte and happy Burns Night.
