Lambs’ liver is such an underrated idea for dinner; it’s an inexpensive, early week treat when budgets are tight.  But, more than that it’s a superfood that too many people ignore, packed full of vitamin A, vitamin B2,  vitamin B3, vitamin B5,  vitamin B12, vitamin C, Iron and copper (which helps your body produce red blood cells and keeps the immune system healthy).  It also helps form collagen, a key part of bones and connective tissue.

If you have a bad memory about liver it is usually because moms used to cook liver until it was very well done and then cook it some more until it resembled shoe leather. But liver needs to be cooked a lot less and never dusted in flour.

Equally important is where you buy your lambs’ liver is from. Don’t buy it from the local supermarket in a sealed packet where the liver has been sitting in its own blood, instead please go to your local butcher, asking them when they are next expecting some fresh lamb’s liver and buy that day.

Ingredients (serves 4)

450-500 grams of Lambs Liver
2 red onions peeled and sliced
3 dessertspoons olive oil
1 large carrot roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
100g chopped tinned tomatoes
1 small bay leaf
500 ml chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon *gravy browning
30 g lamb or goose fat
25 g plain flour
1 kilo of peeled baking potatoes
3 large peeled garlic cloves
50 ml milk
30 grams unsalted butter
75 g parmesan cheese shavings

1. Brown the carrots and yellow onion in the lamb or goose fat, on a medium heat in a nonstick saucepan.  Brown the vegetables well, stirring occasionally to avoid them burning.
2. In a separate saucepan bring the chicken stock to a simmer.
3. Stir in the flour into the brown vegetables and then gradually stir in the hot stock, a ladle at a time.
4. Now add the chopped tinned tomatoes and the bay leaf into the gravy and simmer on a low heat, until the carrot and onions are very tender, then strain the gravy and reserve.
5. In a non-stick frying pan fry the red onions in 1 dessertspoon of olive oil on a medium heat until they are very tender but still red then add the onions to your gravy.
6. Cut your peeled potatoes into evenly sized pieces and put into a heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the garlic and a little salt then bring to a simmer until tender.
7. Drain the potatoes well before returning them to the saucepan and put back on low heat to help dry them for a minute or two.  Now mash them well until smooth before adding your butter and milk. Then add half of the parmesan shaving and keep warm.
8. Return your frying pan to the heat and add the remaining olive oil. When hot season your pan with sea salt and black pepper and fry off your liver pieces a few at a time turning just once and cook until lightly brown (about 2-3 minutes a side).  Transfer the cooked slices to a warm dish and then repeat the process until all of the liver is cooked.

To Serve
Place a large cookie cutter in the centre of your warm dinner plate and fill it with parmesan mash, then carefully remove the cutter and top with a quarter of your liver slices.  When all 4 of your dinner plates are at this stage then gently spoon over the red onion gravy.  Finish by topping the liver with the remaining parmesan shavings and serve.

Chef’s Tips
If you can’t find *gravy browning then burn a little white sugar to make caramel so that your gravy is brown enough.  Before you mash your potatoes make sure your garlic cloves are tender so they get smashed into your mash.  Next time you roast lamb, save some of the fat (you can even freeze it) for when you next cook liver.  Quality fresh lambs liver should be dark red, not mushy and very little blood.

Don’t forget to visit my other blogs
Easy & Cheap Student Recipes-A great resource if you are a student or just learning how to cook.

Old Blog Posts– A growing archive of posts from my original food blog, which had 20,922,573 page views from its beginning in February 2006 until December 2015.

©  Kevin Ashton 2005 – 2017