HAGGIS PIE

2 HRS, PLUS CHILLING TIME

SERVES 6-8

– 500g shortcrust pastry, chilled

– 50g butter, plus extra for greasing

– plain flour, for dusting

– 750g potatoes, such as Maris Piper

– about 75ml milk

– 2 onions

– 250g swede

– olive oil, for frying

– 454g haggis, crumbled

– 1 tbsp tomato purée

– 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

– 500ml beef stock

– ½ bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

– 40g mature cheddar

Take the pastry out of the fridge 15 minutes before rolling it out. Lightly grease a 23cm loosebottomed cake tin with sides that aren’t too deep.

Dust a worktop with flour and roll out the pastry to a circle ½cm thick, so the diameter is about 8cm wider than the tin. Line the tin with the pastry, and press it into the sides. Prick it all over with a fork, then chill it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas mark 4.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill as high as you can with baking beans or rice. This will help stop the pastry shrinking down during baking. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further five minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Now make the filling. Peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks and place in a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. When they are ready, drain and mash with the butter and a splash of milk until smooth. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Peel and finely chop the onions and swede. Place a pan on a mediumlow heat, drizzle in a little olive oil and add the chopped veg. Fry for five minutes, add the haggis and fry for a further five minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, and add the stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until thickened. Add the parsley and stir it through.

When everything is ready, assemble the pie. Spoon the haggis filling into the baked pastry case. Evenly fork or pipe the mash on top. Grate over the cheese and bake the pie for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, then serve, with steamed greens and gravy, if you like.