We had vegetarian haggis and root vegetables last night. We didn’t particularly want vegetables dressed up as meat, but Julia fancied trying it. It tasted exactly like haggis, because haggis mainly tastes of oats and spices.
I wimped out of the traditional neeps and tatties because neeps, it seems, are Swedish turnips, better known in England as swedes, and in North America as rutebagas. I like carrots, I like parsnips and I have no strong feelings about turnips, but swedes are a bit too strongly flavoured for my liking. As a result I generally eat them with other veg. That’s what we did last night – potato, carrot, parsnip, turnip and swede all mashed together.
Tonight I mashed the leftover veg and haggis together, added half a tin of chickpeas (also mashed), an egg, cumin, curry powder and black pepper and formed them into five veggie burgers. The actual plan was to do four, but there was some left over so I added a fifth. I left the mashed bits lumpy to give plenty of texture. Then I gave them 20 minutes at 200 degrees C, turning about halfway through.
Veggie Burgers
They were very acceptable, even if I do say so myself.
The stir-fried veg was (loosely) based on the stir-fried sprouts and chestnuts we had at Christmas, though with no sprouts I used some wilting broccoli and cauliflower. Henderson’s Relish replaced the soy sauce. I also drizzled on the end of a bottle of Hoisin Sauce because the honey has crystallised in the squeezy bottle. and threw in one teaspoonful of chilli and two of garlic from my jars in the fridge. I also threw in a few cashews and some almonds left over from other cooking.
Stir fried vegetables
The overall healthy nature of the meal was destroyed when I sliced a baked potato, left over from Tuesday and fried it with some chicken chipolatas left over from Monday. The chicken chipolatas were not a success, being dry and bland. I will not repeat the experience.
More leftovers…
The header picture is an example of what happens when the lens steams up as you photograph food. Or, to be more accurate, when you are hungry and ready to sit down and the lens steams up as you photograph food. You don’t bother wiping the lens, you just switch off the camera and go to eat.
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I am impressed by your courage in venturing into the world of vegetarian haggis though the point of a vegetarian haggis escapes me. If you don’t want to eat cheap and curious bits of a sheep wrapped in its intestine why should you want to eat anything pretending to be cheap and curious bits of a sheep wrapped in its intestine. The real thing is delicious as long as it is not too “artisan” and full of suspicious lumpy bits. As are vegetables on their own account. You need the mashed neeps for lubrication.
Julia was just curious. I share your curiosity at the point of it. We are having a proper haggis this Monday. This will probably be followed by veggie burgers again as I will ensure the necessary veg. The combination of mashed veg and haggis does indeed go well.
Those burgers and the stir fry look and sound delicious.
Julia complained of too much spice. If I’d have used less she’d have complained about the lack of spice. I really can’t win. 🙂
Haggis – I have never eaten it. There is a Celtic rock group called “Enter the Haggis”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter_the_Haggis
Sounds an interesting group. We are having a meaty haggis this week. I say “meat”, though it’s mainly liver and lungs. In the USA, it seems, you aren’t allowed to use the lungs. Lucky you! 🙂