You might know her best from lighting up your TV screen as you count down to the bells, but this year, Scotland’s Queen of Hogmanay is bringing you a celebration of top quality Scottish food.
That’s right – the inimitable Jackie Bird is making a return to Hogmanay, alongside Edinburgh chef Scott Smith, to join the team behind Make It Scotch to help you enjoy a Hogmanay with Cred.
Scott, chef owner of Fhior restaurant in Edinburgh, has put aside the traditional beef steak pie or stovies and instead created an inspiring dish of slow cooked Scotch Beef PGI cheeks with skirlie, champagne glazed carrots and Bovril potatoes.
In a video filmed in the Make It Scotch Cred Test Kitchen, Scott takes viewers through his recipe while he and Jackie reminisce about some of their own Hogmanay traditions and what inspired the recipe he created.
But there was one test it had to pass… Jackie’s approval! Having been the host of Scotland’s New Year’s Eve entertainment for so many years, it was only right that she should be the first to try this dish from Scott.
Jackie said: “I’m used to spending Hogmanay in front of the cameras, but it was a delight to come back and do it for something different this year by joining Scott in the Cred Test Kitchen to try out his new Hogmanay dish.
“I wouldn’t claim myself to be a Michelin star critic but I am certain that giving this dish a go will help make this year’s New Year celebration one to remember – just the tonic we need after the tough time we’ve all had!”
You can find out her verdict by watching the video on Make It Scotch’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channel, where there is a series of festive hacks, tips and red meat recipe inspiration created for the brand’s ‘Make It a Christmas with Cred’ campaign.
Scott said: “I want my recipe to encourage people to try something different from the norm for their new year celebrations while still keeping that nostalgic feeling that Hogmanay – plus the champagne in the carrots could help use up some excess booze from the festive season!
“It would also work well with alternative beef cuts such as featherblade and parts like the skirlie can be tweaked to suit ingredients people prefer. It would suit any of the typical meals enjoyed over Hogmanay too, whether it’s the big night, New Year’s Day or a first footing dish you’re taking to visit a friend or family member.”
Lesley Cameron, Director of Marketing and Communications at Quality Meat Scotland, the organisation that promotes Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork, added: “This festive season, we want people to make it extra special by choosing an alternative type of meat, such as Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb or Specially Selected Pork from quality-assured farms that adopt best practice in animal welfare and production methods.
“Scott’s recipe is a perfect chance to celebrate the world class Scotch Beef we have in Scotland as you celebrate the start of 2022 but do it in a way that puts a twist on your usual favourites. And we are absolutely delighted to have Jackie Bird’s seal of approval too!”
Watch the full video here – and feel free to share! https://youtu.be/BFEqRzzkdtA
For more Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork recipe videos and inspiration visit www.makeitscotch.com or follow Make It Scotch on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
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Slow cooked Scotch Beef PGI cheeks with skirlie, glazed carrots and Bovril potatoes
Serves 4-6
Scotch Beef PGI cheeks
Ingredients
4 Scotch Beef cheeks, approx. 400g per cheek
24g sea salt
2 ltr beef stock
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
250ml red wine
150g butter, diced
Oil, for cooking
Method
The day before cooking:
Prepare a brine by heating 3 litres of water and the 24g of sea salt until the salt has dissolved. Once this has fully cooled, trim the cheeks and add them to the brine. Let them sit in the brine for at least 4 hours or overnight. This step is optional but adds even more flavour to the delicious cheeks!
On the day of cooking:
Before starting to cook, remove the cheeks an hour before starting to allow them to come to room temp.
Pre heat the oven to 180C
- Heat a heavy-based casserole dish on the hob at a medium high heat and add a couple table spoons of oil.
- Once the oil is very hot, add the cheeks and colour heavily on all sides. This is essential to developing good flavour.
- Once coloured, remove the cheeks from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat down a little. Now add the butter, followed by the carrot, celery and garlic, and allow this to cook for about 5 minutes until lightly coloured.
- Add the red wine, and once reduced by half, add the stock and bring to a boil and then back down to a gentle simmer.
- Add the bay, thyme and add the cheeks back in.
- Place a tightly fitting lid on and put the casserole dish in the oven for 2 and a half hours.
- Remove the dish from the oven and check that the meat is tender. If ready, then carefully remove the cheeks from the pan and strain the stock through a sieve.
- Add the stock back to the pan and reduce this on a high heat until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Take 50ml of this sauce out and keep aside for the skirlie.
- Add the cheeks back in to the pan and keep warm.
Glazed carrots
Ingredients
6 carrots, medium sized
3 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp caster sugar
175g butter, diced
150ml champagne (or your bubbly of choice such as prosecco or cava)
1 ltr beef stock
Oil, for cooking
Salt, for seasoning
Method
- Peel the carrots and cut into pieces about 7cm long.
- Heat a heavy based saucepan with a little oil on a medium high heat and add the carrots with a little salt for seasoning.
- Colour the carrots until golden and then add the champagne. Reduce this by a third and then add all the remaining ingredients. Top up with water to ensure the carrots are submerged by about an inch.
- Turn up the heat to a gentle boil and continue to cook for about 15 minutes until almost all the liquid has gone. Shaking the pan every now and then to move the carrots around.
- Once the carrots are tender, turn the heat up high to finish reducing the liquid and creating a shiny glaze on the carrots.
- Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Bovril potatoes
Ingredients
2kg Maris piper potatoes
2 onions
500ml vegetable stock
3 tbsp Bovril (optional)
100g butter
Salt, for seasoning
Method
- Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Ideally do this on a mandoline, the thinner the better.
- Peel and very thinly slice the onions.
- In an ovenproof dish, arrange a layer with a third of the potatoes, followed by a third of the onions. Add a little salt for seasoning and a drizzle a teaspoon of Bovril across the layer.
- Repeat this process two more times to fill the dish and then pour over the stock.
- Distribute the diced butter on top and place the dish in the oven (already pre heated to 180C) for 1 hour.
- Turn the oven up to 210C and finish in the oven for 15 minutes to crisp up the top before serving.
Skirlie
Ingredients
150g pinhead oats
2 shallots, finely diced
50g beef dripping
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
50ml sauce from the cheeks
Method
- Melt the dripping in a frying pan and add in the shallots with a little salt.
- Cook the shallots for 5 minutes until they are lightly caramelised.
- Add the oats and stir well to ensure the fat is being absorbed evenly and cook them on a low heat for about 8 minutes until toasted, lightly cooked, but still retaining bite.
- Now add the sauce from the beef cheeks and cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley.
- Adjust the seasoning if needed and keep warm.
To serve
- Bring the casserole pan with the cheeks up to a gentle boil and carefully baste the Scotch Beef Cheeks with the sauce and turn them over a few times to glaze the cheeks.
- Spoon the skirlie between your serving plates and place a cheek on top, followed by lots of the sauce form the pan.
- Add the carrots to the plate.
- Put the potato dish on the table as a side for everyone to help themselves.
- Pour yourself a whisky!
TIPS:
- The potatoes can be prepared and cooked in the oven at the same time as the cheeks. These can then be put back into the oven at 210C before serving to reheat and crisp up the top.
- If you are unable to get beef cheeks, then the recipe can be replaced with beef featherblade. Increase the cooking time by 1 hour for this.
- The beef can be cooked the day before to save time. If you do this, then don’t reduce your final sauce when removing from the oven. Chill the whole casserole down and store the beef in the cooking liquid to finish on the day.
