Haggis for beginners

I like haggis, but serving it to company can be tricky. It doesn't matter how much I talk about how similar it is to traditional sausage, most people -- even Scots -- can get a little squeamish. So I've been exploring alternative ways to serve Scotland's national dish that might be more palatable, especially to haggis virgins.
On haggis-maker MacSween's website (www.macsween.co.uk), the Mini Three Bird Haggis Wellingtons recipe caught my eye. I made a batch of the filling using a can of vegetarian haggis I had in the pantry, and found the versatile filling could be used in a number of ways.
I wanted more stuffing in each appetizer than the original recipe called for, so I made a couple sizes of mini tartlets instead of the balls, as well as several red potato cups. There was enough filling to make three dozen appetizers, plus more than half of the haggis that could be used for another preparation.
Another change I made was to the ratio of mushrooms and shallots in the filling because I love these flavors and thought they would complement the haggis. Feel free to adjust to your taste.
The ingredientsMY MCSWEEN'S MINI THREE BIRD HAGGIS WELLINGTON-INSPIRED APPETIZERSYields about 20 tartlets, and 16 stuffed red potatoes
1 tbls. extra-virgin olive oil2 oz. shallots, diced8 oz. cremini mushrooms, diced2 oz. baby spinach, fresh15 oz. can haggis (I used Stahly's Vegetarian Haggis)1 roll ready-rolled puff pastry1 egg yolk8 red potatoes, medium sizeSalt and pepper, to tasteFlour for dusting the cutting boardSour cream and chives for garnish
Pre-heat oven 400 degrees. Saute the shallots in the extra-virgin olive oil over low heat until softened, roughly three minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid releases from the mushrooms and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture drain in a sieve for a few minutes, or until cool enough to fill the pastry shells.
The mushroom and shallot mixtureCut the potatoes in half, pierce a couple times with a fork, and cook in the microwave under a paper towel for 3 minutes, or until softened through.
Meanwhile, roll unroll the puff pastry on the flour-dusted cutting board. Cut out the desired shapes. I cut out nine 2 1/2-inch round circles and a dozen squares from the remaining dough. Put the circles on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Put a teaspoon of haggis in the center and top with a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Bring the sides up till they meet in an "X" formation and pinch closed. Dab with the egg yolk and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until sufficiently browned on top. (The pastry purses will open to look like mini-tarts.
Spray a mini-muffin pan with spray oil and fit each pastry square into the bottom of a muffin form. Top with a teaspoon of haggis and a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Back for 15 to 18 minutes, until edges of the pastry are golden brown.
Cut a sliver of skin off the bottom of each potato half so that it will stand. Remove the center of the potato with a melon baller or small teaspoon to create a potato cup. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then fill the cup with a teaspoon of haggis and a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are browned. Remove and when cool, top with sour cream and chives.
Place the tarts and potato cups on a platter, and serve warm.



Enjoy!