The Hour

In celebration of the upcoming Burns Night and all those Burns Suppers taking place across Scotland, Master Chef winner and author Sue Lawrence provides an alternative Burns Supper with her unique haggis lasagne.

The traditional supper of haggis, neaps and tatties, with the customary dram of whisky, may not be enough for the more adventurous cook.

Before beginning on the haggis lasagne, Sue demonstrates the versatility of haggis. First up is haggis pie and hagshot pie, both filled with haggis, neaps and tatties, for that all-in-one bite.

For the more daring, Sue recommends haggis ravioli, where the pasta pockets are filled with haggis and served with a tomato sauce.

On to the main dish, Sue takes us through the process of making the delicious and original, haggis lasagne.

The dish combines the traditional Scottish dish, and indeed the Burns event associated with it, with the Italian dish in a mixture of culinary culture.

Sue’s Haggis Lasagne

Serves 6

Serve  with  a well-dressed salad.

50g / 1 ¾ oz butter

50g / 1¾ oz plain flour

600 ml / 20 fl oz  milk

1 large  (approx  900g / 2 lb)  haggis 

about a dozen sheets pre-cooked lasagne

3 – 4 large tomatoes, sliced, patted dry on kitchen paper

3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

For the sauce, melt the butter, add the flour , stirring to form a roux  then gradually add the milk, stirring or whisking to form a sauce.  Stir for about 5 minutes then season to taste. 

Cut open the haggis and crumble with your  fingers.  Scatter some over the base of a buttered lasagne dish. Top with some   lasagne sheets then drizzle over a couple of tbsps of the white sauce,  top with more haggis.  Top with the tomatoes, season well,  top with lasagne, another couple tbsp sauce then the remaining haggis, then  remaining lasagne.

Pour the remaining sauce over the  lasagne, top with  the cheese and a drizzle of oil.

Bake, uncovered,  at 180C/  350F/ Gas 4 for  50 – 60  minutes, or until  golden and the lasagne soft. (Check with  tip of a knife). Rest for 10 - 15 minutes  before cutting.