Craig Wilson, aka The Kilted Chef, puts a modern spin on Burns Night by having fun with classic ingredients.
Burns Night is always a welcome sight on the calendar, the chance to pay homage to the great Rabbie Burns.
I thought I’d do just that with these Scottish themed recipes, with a twist…
Cock-a-leekie soup has all those comforting flavours we know and love and is perfect for seeing us through the long, dark, January days.
Giving it a modern feel, I’ve served it in a cocktail glass, which is sure to add a bit of glamour to the dinner table.
I’ve used two more Burns supper favourites – haggis and tatties – in my recipe for quick and easy potato cakes with a kick of chilli.
Serve with a light salad, dressed with wonderful, Macintosh of Glendaveny rapeseed oil, which is beautifully fresh.
Add a hint of whisky, and you’ve got the perfect dish to toast our national bard.
Enjoy!
Cock-a-leekie cocktail with crispy kale
(Serves 6)
Ingredients
- 50g broth mix
- 1 litre cold water
- 1 litre boiling water
- 120g onion
- 150g carrot
- 150g neep
- 100g leeks
- 200g boneless chicken thighs
- 10g salt
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- Pinch of white pepper
- 6 soft pitted prunes
- 5g flat leaf parsley
- 2 cavolo nero leaves (Italian kale)
Method
- Finely chop the onion and put in the soup pan along with the broth mix and one litre of cold water.
- Melt the stock cubes in 1 litre of boiling water, stir until the cubes have melted, then add this to the pan.
- Cut the chicken thighs into small chunks and add to the pan.
- Add salt to season and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finely dice the carrots and neep and add to the pan; simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add the finely chopped leeks and continue to simmer for a further five minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Season to taste with white pepper.
- For the kale, heat the deep fat fryer to 185°C.
- Remove the hard stem in the centre of each leaf and place in the fryer for one minute until crispy, then place on to kitchen paper. Sprinkle with salt.
- To serve: Pour the soup into warmed cocktail glasses.
- Place a prune on the side of each glass and top the soup with a sprinkle of flat leaf parsley.
- Serve the cooked kale alongside.
Haggis and chilli potato cake
(Serves 6)
Ingredients
- 450g Red Rooster potatoes
- 450ml water
- 5g salt
- 1g ground turmeric
- 150g haggis
- 1 red chilli
- 1g cracked black pepper
- A dusting of plain flour
- Bag of spinach salad leaves
- Fresh sprig of thyme
- 2 tbsp Macintosh of Glendaveny cold pressed rapeseed oil
For the salad dressing:
- 70ml Macintosh of Glendaveny cold pressed rapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp whisky
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 15ml clear honey
- Pinch of salt and cracked black pepper
Method
- Peel and cut the potatoes and add to a pan along with turmeric and salt.
- Boil in 450ml of water for 20 minutes then drain off the water and return to the heat for five minutes, moving the potatoes around the pan.
- Mash the potatoes, then crumble the haggis and finely diced red chilli into the mash. Add black pepper and chopped parsley and stir through.
- Put the mixture into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
- Divide the mash into six portions, weighing approximately 70g per portion.
- Lightly dust a dry chopping board with plain flour.
- Take each portion of mash and shape into a potato cake, then return these to the fridge for five minutes.
- While the potato cakes are chilling, make the salad dressing. In a bowl add 70ml of MacIntosh of Glendaveny cold pressed rapeseed oil, white wine vinegar, clear honey, whisky and whisk together. Add a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.
- Heat 2 tbsp rapeseed oil in a frying pan until slightly smoking.
- Cooking two at a time, place the lightly dusted potato cakes in the pan and leave on a moderate heat for one to one-and-a-half minutes until golden. Flip over and cook for the same time on the other side.
- Dry out the pan with kitchen paper, then repeat – you may need to add further oil to the pan.
- Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/ gas mark four. Place the cakes on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to one side while you prepare the salad.
- Place the spinach leaves in a bowl and coat with 2 tbsp of the dressing. Take some chilled plates, place a few salad leaves in the middle of the plate, pop the potato cake on top and drizzle the remaining dressing around the edge.
- Decorate with a sprig of fresh thyme.