Gary Maclean, senior chef lecturer at City of Glasgow College and Scotland’s National Chef, joined forces with Scottish butcher Simon Howie to create the haggis burger recipe ahead of Burns’ Night on January 25.
Stage one: making the burgers
Ingredients:
1 Simon Howie 454g Haggis (original, vegetarian or gluten-free)
450g beef mince
4 quality buns (toasted)
2 beef tomatoes (sliced)
2 red onion (sliced)
2 large dill pickle (sliced)
1 jar relish
2 gem lettuce
Method:
1. To make the burger mix, simply mix the haggis and the minced beef together and add a little salt. The great thing with adding Simon Howie haggis to the mix is the seasoning is done by the haggis and gives the burger an amazing flavour while also helping to hold in the moisture.
2. In my opinion I think burgers should be pressed. Use a pressing machine or, if you don’t have one, a plastic lid that’s about 12cm wide x 3cm deep. Cover the lid with a large piece of cling film, then press the mixture into the cling film-covered lid; fold over the cling film, upturn the lid and bang down onto the work surface to release the ‘pressed’ burger.
3. Heat up a griddle pan or frying pan, add a little oil and then place the burger into the pan. The secret is to not touch the burger or turn it over until it has a chance to brown.
4. While the burger is cooking through on both sides, toast the bun under the grill.
5. You can now start to construct it. I like to build a burger up in as many layers as possible – relish, burger, tomato, onion, pickle, lettuce, mayo, etc. This will make every mouthful different.
Stage two: make the celeriac and wholegrain mustard slaw
Ingredients:
1 medium celeriac
Half a lemon
1 small bunch of chives
50g wholegrain mustard
150g mayonnaise
Method:
1. Peel then shred a medium-sized (450g) celeriac. The shreds should not be too fine, nor should they be much thicker than a matchstick.
2. Toss them immediately in the juice of half a lemon.
3. Mix together four heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise, the wholegrain mustard and two tablespoons of chopped chives.
4. Season with salt and black pepper, then fold into the shredded celeriac.
Stage three: make the chips
Ingredients:
500g frying potatoes (Maris Pipers)
Oil to fry the chips
Method:
1. Cut the chips.
2. Blanch the chips – either steam, boil or cook in oil at a low temperature of 130°C until soft.
3. To cook the chips, fry at between 175°C-180°C until crisp and golden.
