Sautéed Liver and Onions - Your Kids Will Eat

This classic dish is not seen very often in restaurants any more and many turn up their nose at the thought of it for dinner. But with a simple trick discussed below, you can make the liver more mild so that most will eat it and not complain. 

In the United States liver and onions has long been an iconic staple of many diner-style restaurants. It is served either with beef or calf's liver and sautéed onions and sometimes with a little crispy bacon, or onions can be turned into a gravy or sauce, with stock and flour added, and with the liver returned to the gravy briefly before plating. This form is sometimes called "smothered liver and onions" but that name is only common in the Deep South states of the USA. 

Liver and onions is especially common in the regions of Pennsylvania and the Midwest brought to those areas by Germanic immigrants, such as the Amish and Mennonite communities. In large Eastern US cities such as New York it was made popular through immigration. Beef or calf's liver is most common for the dish in the US, while calf's or lamb's liver are the usual choices in the UK. The dish is most commonly served with mashed or boiled potatoes, although today as you can see I am serving it with roasted potatoes. 

Liver Options: I prefer calf's liver (veal) for this dish as it is more tender and has a less-strong taste than the regular and more easy to find beef liver. If you do get beef liver I would suggest you soak it in milk for 20-30 minutes before proceeding with the dish. You can do the same for the calf's liver, but in my opinion you lose too much of the signature taste. So today I'm not soaking it as my dinner companions all enjoy liver and onions. If you have children dining with you or others not quite so happy with your choice of meal, then do consider soaking it first. Recently I have found calf's liver much harder to find. If you can purchase the liver already sliced, do so as it can be challenging to cut evenly. You are looking for 1/2-inch thick slices or even a little less. Even at 1/2-inch it only takes a couple minutes to cook the liver on either side. Take care not to over cook as it will turn gray, dry and tough if you do. 

Ingredients

3 medium sweet Vidalia onions

2-3 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour
1 pound calf's liver

   About 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices  

Instructions
Thinly slice the onions and finely chop the garlic cloves. Set aside near the cooktop. 

Heat 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. When the butter foams, add the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until their juices are released, about 5-8 minutes until the onions are tender. Transfer the onions to a medium bowl and reserve.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the tablespoon of oil, and heat until shimmering. Place the flour in a pie plate or other rimmed dish and season liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge the liver in the seasoned flour and lay the pieces in hot pan one-by-one. Cook until the first side is browned around the edges, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Flip the liver and cook on the second side until the edges are browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (The liver should be cooked only medium and slightly pink inside.) 

Transfer the liver to a serving plate or platter and reserve. (Do this is in batches if you can't fit all of the liver in one pan, removing any burned pieces of flour or other drippings that remain in the pan with a slotted spoon. Add more oil if needed for subsequent batches.)

When you've finished cooking the liver, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. After it has melted and stopped foaming, add the reserved onions and minced garlic. Toss to mix, stirring in any accumulated juices from the liver. Cook turning regularly until lightly browned. Place the onions on top of the liver and serve immediately.