Ignite your taste buds with this Burns Night Pizza, a modern twist on tradition that blends the warmth of Scottish heritage with the familiar appearance of an Italian pizza.
A crisp, airy crust topped with a symphony of ingredients inspired by the iconic Burns Night feast. Haggis crumbles dance alongside savoury neeps and tatties, while a melody of mozzarella and whisky-infused sauce harmonises to create a culinary ode to the great poet himself, Robert “Rabbie” Burns. This unique pizza experience is a poetic fusion that pays homage to the past while delighting the present palate in every flavourful bite.
What is Burns Night?
Burns Night is a spirited celebration held on January 25th, which pays homage to the legendary Scottish poet Robert Burns. This lively event is a poetic mash-up of bagpipes, haggis, and the rich cadence of Burns’ verses. The air is infused with the aroma of traditional Scottish fare, and as the night unfolds, Burns supperers join together in spirited toasts, uniting in a symphony of laughter and camaraderie. A fusion of Scottish cultural pride and poetic passion, Burns Night is a tapestry where the threads of tradition and verse intertwine, creating a memorable feast for the senses.
What is in Haggis?
Haggis boasts a robust blend of ingredients that contribute to its distinctive flavor. It includes minced sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs, combined with onions, suet (animal fat), oatmeal, and a medley of spices, such as salt, pepper, and nutmeg. This mix is encased in a sheep’s stomach, creating a unique and hearty dish that captures the essence of Scottish culinary heritage. The result is a savoury, earthy symphony of flavours that has stood the test of time as a celebrated element of Scottish cuisine. My favourite haggis is hands down Macsweens – it just has the perfect spiciness and consistency.
The Pizza
For the sauce I’m using my White Pizza Sauce as the foundation:
Scrape half a tub, approx 125g, of mascarpone cheese in to a bowl and press it down all over with a fork to break it up. It’s pretty clear at this stage that it is too thick and there’s no way you could spread this on fresh dough.
Add a teaspoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of water to the bowl and mix through with the fork to thin out the sauce. You may need an additional tablespoon. Continue to add water to thin it out. You want it to be similar to yoghurt in terms of thickness.
Grate in around 20g of hard cheese, I like to use Grana Padano but others will do fine. Add this to the bowl and mix through. Finish off the sauce by grating or mincing 1 large clove of garlic and adding salt and black pepper to taste.
Now add in a single shot of whisky and mix through. The sauce will thin out ever so slightly but will still spread nicely on the pizza.
The Final Pizza
With quite a heavy group of toppings, I’ve gone with my Poolish Pizza Dough recipe as it’s tough and sturdy enough to take the weight in confidence without tearing.
Topping
After stretching the dough to 12 inches, I topped with the whisky infused white sauce (and tasted a teaspoon full, just to make sure).
Tatties
I sliced the potatoes very thinly on my hand held mandoline slicer:
Then, I boiled them in salted water just for a couple of minutes to release some of the starch before draining and allowing to cool completely before assembling on the pizza.
I layered them on the pizza in a ‘fish-scale’ style layout.
Neeps
The turnip was diced roughly and simmered in boiling water for around 12 minutes to soften it.
I put these with the potatoes to drain and cool completely before scattering evenly across the pizza.
Haggis
The haggis was chopped roughly and crumbled over the pizza evenly.
It had to be in small enough chunks to ensure it cooked properly on the pizza.
Once the haggis was on, a light sprinkle of mozzarella completed the toppings.
The Bake
Like most pizzas, this was ready in around 1 ½ minutes and it looked and smelled delicious for the duration.
The Verdict
I enjoyed this one! As much as I enjoy my annual intake of haggis, neeps and tatties, I do sometimes find it slightly dry and wanting something more. I’m a big fan of whisky sauce and this was a welcome change from the norm on Burns Night and I’ll probably repeat it next year.
It may not be to everyone’s taste but you could play around with the measures and make the whisky taste a little more subtle and more aligned with your taste if required.
