It is time for Week 2 of The Liver Experiment where I will try to acquire a taste for liver. Over a 10 week period I will cook, consume and post my experience about trying to appreciate my food nemesis. First off I want to thank you all for your comments and support after the publication of my first post. Obviously this series will not be to everyone’s epicurean liking but I was very happy to see the encouragement and demonstrated curiosity. I hope you will follow along throughout the whole series.
I am happy to report Week 2 was a considerable success. I actually kind of enjoyed this week’s recipe. I would even say it was the first pretty tolerable liver dish I have ever eaten in my life. I can sincerely say I would make this recipe again. This gives me a lot of hope. This week we will cook a Liver & bacon sauté with potatoes & parsley.
This recipe was made with veal liver. The original recipe called for lamb liver but I did not find any. The liver is cut into strips and dipped in flour before frying. This probably had a great impact on the texture as I found it more like real meat rather than the squishy texture we associate with this organ. The bacon and delicious sour cream definitely helped too. But I did try to enjoy several bites of the liver all by itself to develop a taste for it. It really was not bad at all. If you love liver already you will find this recipe a winner for sure.
I thought this series would be a perfect opportunity to educate myself (and others) on the facts, history and benefits of eating liver. We all know the claims of its high iron content but is there more good stuff in it for us. The answers is a BIG yes. Liver is a great source of protein and also contains high levels of Vitamin A, copper, zinc, selenium, folic acid, chromium, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin B12.
Many people fear eating liver because of the organ’s main function: to rid the body of toxins. Well you will be glad to know that liver does not store toxins. However one drawback to eating liver is that is is high in cholesterol, so if this is a health issue for you better to not eat it regularly. There are studies that show too much liver in a diet could cause copper and vitamin A to build to toxic levels but to get sick you would have to eat liver several times a week. A 3-ounce serving once a week is perfectly safe so enjoy but don’t over indulge.
Liver & bacon sauté with potatoes & parsley
Ingredients
- 400 g new potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 spring onions trimmed and each cut into 2-3 pieces on the diagonal
- 4 rashers of unsmoked bacon snipped into pieces
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tsp paprika plus extra for sprinkling
- 175 g veal's liver sliced into thin strips
- 20 g pack flatleaf parsley chopped
- 150 ml hot vegetable stock made with bouillon powder
- 4 tbsp soured cream
Instructions
- Halve the potatoes. Simmer in salted water for 12-15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a wok. Add the potatoes and fry them for 4-5 minutes over a high heat until browned and crispy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Tip the spring onions and bacon into the pan and stir and sizzle for 3-4 minutes or until the bacon gets crispy. Meanwhile, season the flour with paprika, a little salt and plenty of black pepper, then use to coat the liver.
- Stir the liver into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the potatoes and quickly reheat. Stir in the chopped parsley, remove everything from the pan and divide between 2 plates. Keep warm.
- Quickly pour the hot stock into the pan and scrape all the crispy bits up from the bottom. Bubble for 1-2 minutes, then pour around the liver and potatoes. Serve each portion topped with soured cream and a sprinkling of paprika.
Read the entire The Liver Experiment series:
Week 1: Chicken Liver Pate and Absinthe
You could make me a liver lover with a dish like this. I bet veal liver is so tender! I wonder if I can find some. Great recipe!
Hi Evelyne, i have sent you a mail. Please let me know if and when you receive it.
I am not much of a liver eater but I would be willing to try it since there are the potatoes and bacon involved haha!
We Indians can’t help cooking everything in curry! Goes without saying that I make liver curry (thick one though). I usually dip the raw diced liver in boiling water for a minute to get rid of the blood and that weird smell/taste. Then wash it and cook it in masala. It tastes great…serve it with rice or parantha 😀
That’s a very interesting approach to acquire a taste for liver.
I’m not a huge fan, except for chicken liver, but my husband loves liver in all possible preparations, so now I can try out different recipes and he will enjoy it enormously .
Great idea, thanks so much Evelyne!
I really admire you for giving liver such a go, I’m not sure I’d be able to do that honestly, my the memories I have of them are pretty dreadful.
Bacon, potatoes, parsley..I know I will love this one. Bookmarking for future. Great photos too..makes me hungry:-)Can’t wait to see more of your liver experiment.
This is the way my mom cooked liver. I was never a huge fan, but would take a few bites without fussing. Looking forward to next week’s recipe 🙂
I like the idea of of a challenge… such as making a good liver dish. I would definitely try yours…it looks delicious… prepared with care and knowledge! 🙂 ela
Are you sure it didn’t taste good just because it had delicious bacon with it?
I’m going to blame the bacon for this one. Even if you ate the liver separately. The presence of bacon makes everything better.
You know ever since I read your last post about having to eat something 8-10 times, I’ve told some people and they agree. They’ve said the same thing has happened with their kids! Glad to see that it is going well 😀
G’day! While I am not the biggest liver fan (but have been known to enjoy it in French restaurants), II really admire your Evelyne and look forward to what you do!
Cheers! Joanne
I’m not much of a liver fun BUT I grew up eating it (mostly chicken). I like your idea of eating with potato and bacon (my fav ingredients!)!
I sure would love to taste this stir-fry! It looks fantastic, Evelyne.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Angie
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I would not use veal, personally, but I do like liver and I would try this at home for sure. 🙂
Sounds and look great.