Haggis & Tattie Taco Scones
Burns Night meets Taco Tuesday. Scotland fights back.
A tattie scone, folded warm, holds haggis better than a soft taco holds carnitas. This is the recipe nobody asked for and everybody needs. Pair with a neep, sriracha and coriander purée — tradition, but make it spicy.
Tattie scones are 60% potato, 40% flour — that high-starch, low-gluten ratio means they fold without cracking. Haggis brings fat, spice and depth. Sriracha-neep purée balances the iron-rich offal with sweet root vegetable and chilli heat.
Tips & Tricks
- →Floury potatoes only. Waxy potatoes make wet, gluey scones.
- →Add the flour while the potato is warm — cold potato = tough dough.
- →Don't roll too thin (cracks) or too thick (won't fold).
- →If your scones are crisping not pliable, your pan is too hot. Drop the heat.
Tattie scones are best fresh but reheat well in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side. Cooked haggis crumble keeps 2 days in the fridge — re-crisp in a hot pan.
Neep, Sriracha & Coriander Purée
The condiment that turns this from a novelty into a meal. Sweetness from the swede balances the iron-rich haggis; sriracha brings heat; coriander brings green lift.
- Cooked neeps (swede)400 g
- Sriracha1 tbsp
- Fresh corianderSmall bunch
- Butter30 g
- SaltPinch
- 1.Boil the swede. Salted water, until very tender (~20 min). Drain hard.
- 2.Blitz hot. Into a blender with butter, sriracha, half the coriander. Blitz smooth. Adjust salt.
- 3.Finish. Stir through remaining torn coriander leaves so you get pops of fresh green.
Pickled Red Onions
Sharp, sweet, magenta. Cuts through the richness of the haggis and brightens every bite. Make these the day before — they're better after 24 hours and keep for weeks.
- Red onion1 large
- Apple cider vinegar120 ml
- Water120 ml
- Sugar2 tbsp
- Salt1 tsp
- Fresh thyme2–3 sprigs
- Black peppercorns6–8
- Bay leaf1
- Chilli flakesPinch
- 1.Pack the jar. Slice the onion thin (mandoline if you have one). Pack into a sterilised jar with the thyme, peppercorns, bay and chilli flakes.
- 2.Warm the brine. Small pan: vinegar, water, sugar, salt. Heat gently, stir until dissolved — don't boil.
- 3.Pour and wait. Pour hot brine over the onions, fully submerged. Cool to room temp, then fridge. Ready in 1 hour, brilliant after 24, keeps 3 weeks sealed.
"O my Luve is like a red, red rose / That's newly sprung in June, / O my Luve is like the melodie / That's sweetly play'd in tune."
— Robert Burns — A Red, Red Rose, 1794
Some say it's wrong. Some say it's brilliant. Both are correct.
Method
- 1
Boil and rice the tatties
Peel, chunk, boil in salted water until tender (~15 min). Drain hard, then steam-dry over the empty hot pan for a minute. Pass through a ricer or mash smooth.
- 2
Make the dough
Mix the warm potato with melted butter, salt, then sift in the flour. Bring together with your hands until just smooth. Don't overwork — gluten is the enemy here.
- 3
Roll and cut
Roll out on a floured board to ~5 mm thick. Cut 12 cm rounds (saucer-sized). You should get 6.
- 4
Dry-fry the scones
Heavy pan, medium-high, no oil. Cook each scone 2–3 minutes per side until golden-brown spots appear. Stack and wrap in a tea towel to keep warm and pliable.
- 5
Crumble and crisp the haggis
Hot pan with a knob of butter. Crumble cooked haggis in, fry until the edges crisp (~3 min). Splash in whisky off the heat — let it deglaze. Don't set yourself on fire.
- 6
Build
Tattie scone, warm. Spoon of neep purée (below). Pile of crispy haggis. Drizzle of sriracha. Coriander leaves. Fold. Eat over the sink.
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