Neeps Tatties Recipes

NEEPS & TATTIES

Steps:

• Fill a large pan with cold water, add a good pinch of sea salt and put it on a high heat. Peel 1 large swede (roughly 1kg), and cut it into 2cm chunks. Once the water is boiling, add the swede and cook for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel 1kg of potatoes and cut them into 2.5cm chunks. When the 15 minutes is up, add the potatoes and cook for a further 10 to 15 minutes, or until everything is soft and cooked through. Drain, leave to steam dry for a minute, then mash with a good pinch of salt and white pepper and a knob of butter.

NEEPS & TATTIES

Steps:

• The day before you want to serve, preheat the oven to fan oven 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Put the potatoes into a pan of lightly salted water, return to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the potatoes, put them back into the pan and place it back on the heat for a couple of minutes to dry out.
• Meanwhile, pour the oil into a large roasting tin (you may have to use two) and heat it in the oven until smoking hot. Now stir the potatoes into the hot oil and return to the oven to roast, turning occasionally, for 55 minutes.
• Cook the swede in boiling salted water for 50-55 minutes, or until very soft. Drain and add to the roasted potatoes. Roughly mash everything together, keeping quite chunky, then cool, cover and keep in a cool place.
• To serve, preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Uncover the potatoes and swede, dot with the butter and put in the oven to reheat for 25-30 minutes, stirring now and again until piping hot. Serve with lots of butter.

NEEPS AN'TATTIES

Steps:

• Cook the vegetables separtely, drain and then mash them together, adding all the other ingredients.
• Season to taste and serve very hot.

NEEPS & TATTIES SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the coriander and the vegetables, fry for 4-5 mins, then cover with 400ml water and bring to the boil. Cook until all the vegetables are soft - around 20-25 mins.
• Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then add the milk. Transfer to a blender or blitz with a stick blender until smooth, then return to the pan to heat through. (For a really smooth consistency, push the mixture through a sieve after blending.) Check the seasoning and add a little more salt and nutmeg, if you like.
• Meanwhile, heat the cooked haggis or black pudding in a frying pan until sizzling. Serve the soup in bowls and top with the haggis or black pudding, a swirl of double cream and the celery leaves.

HAGGIS, NEEPS & TATTIES

Steps:

• Heat the haggis following pack instructions. When the haggis has 30 mins cooking time remaining, tip the potatoes into a large pan of generously salted cold water, then bring to the boil over a medium heat and cook for 10-12 mins until very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 10 mins.
• Add half the milk and two-thirds of the butter to the pan used to cook the potatoes, and warm over a low heat until the butter is melted and the milk is just steaming. Remove from the heat and return the potatoes to a pan, then use a potato masher to mash everything together. Or, pass the potatoes through a medium sieve into the pan in batches using the back of a spoon or ladle. (Using a sieve will give you a very fine, no-lump texture.) Season well with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook the swede and carrots in a pan of boiling water for 18-20 mins until very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain well and leave to steam-dry in the colander for 10 mins. Return the vegetables to the pan along with the remaining milk and butter, then coarsely mash using a potato masher - you don't want a smooth texture here. Season well. Serve the haggis with the neeps and tatties alongside.