Scot or Not, Join the Burns' night Celebrations with my party Haggis Samosa's
By: Karen Vivers
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2015 - 4:59am

Ingredients




250gr / 0.5 lb potatoes, cooked and mashed
300gr / 10 oz. sweet turnip, cooked and mashed
400gr / 14 oz. haggis, cooked
20gr / 0.7 oz. unsalted butter
6 x spring onions chopped finely
1 x tsp of coriander powder
¼ x tsp white pepper
¼ x tsp nutmeg
2 x tbsp Glayva whisky (or whisky and a little honey)
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
For the Pastry
650gr / 1.4 lb. filo pastry cut into strips of about 9cm x 24cm / 3.5 in. x 9.5 in.
2 x eggs beaten

Preparation

1 1.Heat the oven to 200°C. 2 2.Line a roasting tray (s) with baking paper. 3 3.Heat the butter in a non-stick pan being careful not to burn it, add the onion and cook on a medium high heat for about a minute. 4 4.Add the haggis and the spices and cook just to heat through and mix with the onion for about another minute. 5 5.De-glaze with the Glayva, allow it to evaporate, then add the potato and turnip. 6 6.Mix everything through evenly, check for seasoning, set aside. 7 7.For the pastry, get everything ready and set up so that you can build the samosa’s. Place the baking tray(s) within reach, the filling mix, the pastry and the beaten egg. You will also need a knife and a pastry brush. 8 8.I like to make about 3 or 4 samosas at a time, but this will depend on how much space you have to work. On a clean, dry work surface spread out as many of the strips as you like and brush them with egg. 9 9.Place about a tbsp or so at the bottom end of one or your filo strips, slightly to the left corner. 10 10.Taking the area where you have placed the filling, lift the left hand corner in a diagonal motion over to meet the right edge of your strip of filo pastry. This will give you a triangle shape. Now repeat on the opposite side by taking the point at the right side diagonally over to the left edge of your pastry. Repeat until you reach the end of your strip of filo. 11 11.Place each samosa onto your baking tray. 12 12.Repeat until you have used your mix, brush each samosa with some egg. 13 13.Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they are nice and brown

About

It's here again, Burns' night.  Roll out the haggis.
All over the world, Scots will be celebrating their national poet tonight with meals of haggis neeps 'n' tatties (haggis, turnip and potato).  His famous poems and songs will be sung and, for those of us Scots living outside the country a nostalgic tear or two will more than likely be shed.
As much as I like my haggis, and as much as I appreciate a Burns' poem or even two, sometimes I don't want the full on experience.  And, as a Scot living in the Netherlands, I notice that not all of my countrymen are overenthusiastic about eating a meal which consists predominantly of offal.  As much as I have tried to change the image of the haggis and the opinion of my non-Scots friends, 'It's really just a spicy sausage you know.'  They still regard my explanation and the poor little haggis with some suspicion.  So, sometimes you have to ease people into these things gently.  This is the thought process that led to my Burns' night drinks with little Scottish inspired snacks.  My latest being the Haggis Samosa.  The classic dinner of Haggis encased in some crispy filo pastry.   A little bite sized Scottish experience for those who feel they can dip their toe in the water but are not quite ready to jump in.