Traditional haggis, as I mentioned, includes the parts of a sheep that you may not want to eat by themselves. Like ingredients in sausage products, these are ingredients that Americans tend not to like to think about. Out of sight, out of mind. But in this age of additives, and having just read David Kessler’s book The End of Overeating, I’m actually a bit more at peace with these kinds of ingredients than with, say, the ingredients in McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. I also like the idea of putting all of the parts of the animal to good use. (Hopefully my haggis turns out to be a “good use!”) To avoid the cholesterol and fat problems presented by lamb/mutton or beef, I considered using lower-fat meats like venison or goat. Venison is available at our local butcher. Goat is available at our local international supermarket. But I challenge you to find nutrition information on venison & goat heart and liver. Plus, as it turns out, I would have to special-order the offal, and I wanted to start my project this weekend! As luck turns out, though, our local international supermarket stocks terrific poultry ingredients. I think that these should be lower in fat and cholesterol than the mutton/beef equivalents. I realize that the flavor will be affected significantly, but I hope that these will give it the rich flavor that prevents haggis from being just another meatloaf. To substitute for mutton hearts, I’m using chicken hearts. (The heart is a muscle, not an organ, so it seemed important to stick with hearts.)

Chicken Hearts

To substitute for mutton liver, I’m using turkey gizzard. (I couldn’t find other poultry organ meats.)

Turkey Gizzard

To substitute for mutton tongue, I’m using turkey necks. (Again, it’s a muscle.) And some ground turkey.