Haggis is something that I suspect many of us outside of Scotland have never tried. Those of us that have might have only had it in the traditional neeps and taties type way. I had never tried it until last year, but I’d always been weirdly curious.
Last year I tried it as meatballs and in a cottage pie. I just didn’t like the idea of it on a plate with veg and potatoes. It’s such a great flavour and texture that I wanted to do more with it. The slightly spiced and flavoursome taste actually reminds me of faggots, which I loved as a kid.
So, this year I wanted to try some more different things. I always tell the kids that meatballs are just flat burgers, so that seemed like a great place to start. Haggis burgers are just flat haggis meatballs. Sort of.
If you’ve never tried Haggis, or you are just looking for a different recipe, Haggis Burgers are perfect. They’re fun, easy to make and full of
Getting the Right Texture
Now, Haggis is pretty dry, and kinda, crumbly. It works really well in something like cottage pie, because you are cooking it in a gravy, so it all just gets nice and thick and juicy. Which is awesome. It’s not an ideal consistency for burgers though. So, I don’t find pure Haggis Burgers work particularly well.
For my Haggis Burgers, I mix the haggis with beef. The fat from the beef binds it all together well, and just tones down the flavour a little bit. If you find it’s still too dry, or that the patties won’t hold shape, I recommend adding a splash of red wine, or whisking an egg, and adding it spoon at a time, mixing in until the texture is just a little wetter.
Let’s Get Messy
When I was little, I had a period of kinda wanting to be a butcher. I loved the idea of it, I can’t quite explain why. But, I still quite like getting a bit messy with raw meat. Which makes me sound like a total weirdo. But, it means that I love making burgers. Beef is great, you just stick your hands in and mould it all together.
When you mix haggis and beef mince, you need to knead it all together a bit. The mince is much pinker than the haggis, so you can tell when it’s mixed enough, the
You can use a burger press to get the right size and shape, but I tend to just use my hands to roll them into balls and flatten them. Whatever works, eh?
The Recipe
Easy Haggis Burgers
Ingredients
- 500 g Beef Mince
- 250 g Haggis – Removed from cover and broken up in a bowl
- 1 Red Onion – Finely Diced
- Cooking oil or Spray
- Bread Rolls, Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Mayo – To serve (optional)
Instructions
- Add the beef mince and onion to the haggis in a large bowl
- Use your hands to break up the meats and knead together until it forms a well-mixed ball
- Roll into 6 even balls
- Flatten into burger patties
- Place on a greased or lined baking tray and leave in the fridge for one hour
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan
- Fry the burgers for 3 minutes on each side
- Return to the baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked through
- Build burger as required
Video
Notes
- If the mixture is too dry, add a little red wine or whisked egg
- Add cheese before baking if required I do bottom roll, burger, tomato, lettuce, mayo, top roll.
- Calorie count just for burger patty, add extra for bread etc
