Liver & Onions

Organ meats in general – and liver in particular – are foodstuffs many people love to hate… which is a shame, cuz if done properly, they’re extremely good. This is mine.

Prep

Slice beef liver (veal is best if you have it) into strips, say an inch wide by an eighth to a quarter inch thick, by however long your liver is. (Frozen is fine: we used a package about a pound and a quarter from the supermarket – just thaw first.)

Place these in a non-reactive container with some (I used a couple-three tablespoons) crushed garlic, and add some red wine (cheap is fine, provided it’s drinkable) until everything’s submerged.

Allow to rest for an hour or two.

Thin(nish)ly slice some onions – regular yellow, not Vidalia or the like or they’ll turn to mush.

If serving on bread, have some (preferably good crusty homemade, or an excellent sandwich roll) ready. Have handy some demiglace to deglaze the pan.

Fire

Heat a sauteuse (or frypan or whatever) and add some fat – I prefer duck fat, but whatever you’d like provided it has a sufficiently high smoke point: this is a saute.

When hot, add the sliced onions and saute until nicely caramelized.

Remove to a separate holding dish.

In batches – you do not want to overcrowd the pan – and over high heat, saute the (drained) liver until JUST done. You want HOT and QUICK; otherwise results in tough, nasty liver. As they finish, remove the batches to the holding plate with the onions.

Reduce the heat, deglaze the pan with the demi, then everybody back in the pool.

Heat gently until warm, gently mixing the ingredients until combined.

Serve, atop (toasted) bread if serving as sandwiches.