Burns Night: Haggis wrapped in Butterflied Leg of Lamb

Last night we gathered the Scots, the ex-pats, the pipers, and all and sundry together for an early Burns night supper. Hanging about in kilts in 30°C late sun certainly contrasted with the frosty nights we remember in Scotland.

We tried a bit of an experiment in combining the two meats here, the beaut haggis spices infiltrating the lamb, with the juicy lamb keeping the haggis nice and moist.

The haggis: Here in Australia we prefer our haggis wild and freshly shot, keeps that nice gamely flavour compared with those flabby barley-fed specimens raised on the big haggis farms out here and in Scotland...

Haggis...a couple of tasty specimens.

What we used:

850g Haggis
1.5kg Leg of Lamb, butterflied. (your butcher can do this, or there are plenty of you-tube vids on how-to, if you fancy a good boning yourself!)

We marinated the lamb in:
Red wine
Garlic
Rosemary
Thyme
Mint
Salt & Pepper
Marinated for a few hours or overnight if possible.





Then in a big pot of salted water we boiled the haggis for about an hour.
Purely boiling the haggis, you'd probably want about 75 mins, but we pulled it up short as it would still cook when in the roasting lamb.





Then we took it out, peeled the haggis skin, and set the "haggis water" aside for reducing into a sauce.

Lay the haggis in the open butterflied lamb, then wrap it into a roll, and truss it up with butcher's string.

Just wait, it WILL look OK soon...

Fire the oven up to 200°C, and fire up a big pan on the stove on high heat.
Sear the outside of your lamb/haggis roll , then it's into the preheated oven.

25 minutes at 200°C then rest the meat for 10-15 minutes.

We sliced it in half-inch slices, then served with roasted tatties (spuds) and neeps (turnips in UK, we call 'em swedes here in Oz) boiled, mashed with a bit of salt, pepper and cream.

Succulent roast lamb leg, stuffed with haggis.

Pour the reduction of "haggis-juice" and the pan juices over the top...





A cool climate Shiraz has just the right balance of spices and fruit here, we think. We drank Dalwhinnie 2007 Moonambel Shiraz (nice Scots-flavoured name too!), absolutely stunning with this dish. The Mitchell Harris Pyrenees Shiraz would be a sublime little match too, we reckon ;-).

Of course then it's time for a wee bit ay Burns verse...we'll leave it to you to pick your own...(and translate!)

Richard delivers the Burns verse...

*pure-deid-brilliant Haggis actually obtained from the remarkable John Harbour the Butcher, in Ballarat.

Gills Diner ...a very hip new city home for Mitchell Harris Shiraz

Just a note to let you know the flagship Mitchell Harris Shiraz 2008 is now on the wine list at the über-funky city eatery, Gills Diner. This great spot is tucked away in Gills Lane, behind the Commercial Bakery in Little Collins St.

Get yourself down there for some terrific food (amazing breakfast and coffee too!) and hop into some Pyrenees goodness whilst you take in the tastes and the groovy vinyl spinning of the decks.

It's a fantastic find, and we're glad to have the Mitchell Harris Shiraz on the shelves...

Apres le déluge... Lake Wendouree full again.

Just a few scenes here from the morning jog around Lake Wendouree in our home town of Ballarat.

An empty Lake Wendouree in 2008

After a week where we have scored almost half the year's average rainfall, Lake Wendouree has filled for the first time since 2002. In the intervening years it has been something between a puddle and a dustbowl in the middle of town, and it is fantastic to see the lake 75mm above capacity and looking beautiful.

Here are a few shots from my morning run, taken and edited "on-the-run" on my iPhone...

2010...the Drinkscape

A few of our random drinking pics for the year here, usually just snapped on the iPhone amidst a quiet tipple...







A line-up of Pinot Noir at a tasting in Central Otago in March.







An age-appropriate gift for mate Nick's fortieth in April







Johnno at the Tasting Bench, blending up the 2009 Mitchell Harris Cabernet Sauvignon.







A nice Peninsula Pinot to warm the cockles in the snow at Mt Buller.







Some Pinot / Sangiovese blends on the Tasting Bench for the Mitchell Harris 2010 Rosé.







How cool is the colour of this pink beer? RedRice beer from Japan.







A cheeky wee Burg with rabbit braised in duck stock.




The 2010 Mitchell Harris Rosé Launch, Lydiard Wine Bar, Ballarat.




Some Spanish icons at our Brotherhood of Wine dinner in Ballarat in November.




Need we say more....




The Rosé Revolution tweet-up tasting...




Another oldie with Christmas dinner...still holding up well.




And a GIANT BEER! Santa's VB is a 44-gallon drum!

Cheers!

Happy New 2011!

A quick note to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Mitchell Harris Crew.

Thanks for a terrific year in 2010, a year where:

• We were lucky to have a brilliant vintage in the Pyrenees, truly one to remember for our red wine. 
• We discovered a great blend of fruit zing and savoury tannins in our 2010 Pinot Noir/Sangiovese Rosé.
• The addition of a terrific aged Muscat to the Mitchell Harris Wines portfolio
• Mitchell Harris Wines moved into even more of Melbourne and Victoria's best restaurants and bars.
• We continued to gain some great reviews in the press and blogs, and achieved James Halliday's Wine Companion 5-star status in only our second year.

The fun won't stop this year, with plans ahead for:

• A promising Pyrenees vintage, with our fruit in the Moonambel Hills surviving our spring deluges without wet feet or any other problems.
• Mitchell Harris Footy Tipping, bigger and better than ever!
• Sabre by Mitchell Harris, the release of our long-awaited sparkling wine.
• Plenty of events and great drinking ahead.

For now, Cheers to you all , and happy drinking!