Skirlie is a traditional Scottish dish made from oatmeal, onion, fat and seasoning. It makes a great stuffing or accompaniment to chicken, turkey or even mince, and is delicious stirred through mashed potatoes.
It has been described as ‘a mealie pudding without the skin’ – not strictly accurate but not a bad description.
Method
Melt the butter or dripping over a medium heat and add the onion.
Stir until the onion is golden and starting to brown at the edges, then add the oatmeal and stir slowly until all the fat is absorbed. You’re looking for quite a dry mixture, so the amount of oatmeal you will need will depend on the size of your onion. Keep stirring for around 8 minutes, until the oatmeal is cooked but still retains some bite. Add the salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
For skirlie mash, mash your potatoes and stir in some butter and cream before adding the skirlie and stirring thoroughly to combine. Skirlie mash is a great side dish any time, but particularly served alongside haggis and neeps.
