haggis

My first haggis was of the canned variety. It was good, but it didn't feel authentic. Let's compare:

My first haggis looked like this prior to cooking.

My second haggis looked like this prior to cooking.

A bit different, yes? But both the canned variety and the traditional variety are basically a lamb sausage. You guys are smart enough to go to Wikipedia and look it up yourselves, but in case you're lazy, here's the Wikipedia entry on haggis. My first haggis was baked in ramekins in the oven. The preparation of the second was a bit different. We cooked it in its casing rather than cooking its contents separately. After simmering in water for 45 minutes, the haggis looked like a balloon... if balloons were filled with meat.

After removing the haggis from its casing, this is what it looked like. It's very dense, much more dense than the canned haggis, and much less salty. The lamb:oat ratio was quite a bit higher.

The traditional side dish is mashed turnips and potatoes, but we roasted our neeps and tatties instead of mashing them.

The verdict? I preferred the consistency of the Savenor's haggis, but it was underspiced. If - no, WHEN - I make haggis I will add more salt and pepper, as well as rosemary and garlic.