CALVES LIVER WITH SAGE AND ONION FRITTERS

We both love liver, and this recipe by Tom kerridge is delicious, and  the bacon butter sauce is a revelation. A modern take on liver and onions.   Oh, and don’t throw the bacon butter away, it’s delicious on toast.

INGREDIENTS Serve 2

2 Pieces of Calves liver 150g – 200g
sunflower oil
Seasoned plain flour with a pinch of cayenne
juice of 1 lime
4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
4 tablespoon beef stock

for the bacon butter

100g lardons
250g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon paprika

for the fritters

2 onions halved and thinly slices (a mandolin is good for this)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons fresh sage finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon gram flour
sunflower oil
2 rashers of bacon

METHOD

Add the lardons to a pan on a medium heat. Fry until they start to crisp up and release their fat. Turn the heat down and add the butter and paprika. Continue to cook until the butter stars to froth. Pass the mix through a fine sieve and cool, then store in the fridge.

Place the sliced onion in a large bowl and season with the salt and dried sage. Mix together and leave to stand for 25 minutes. Wrap the onions, in a tea towel and squeeze out the liquid into a bowl. Reserve the liquid. Taste the water for being too salty.  Rinse the onions in fresh water to remove any excess salt, then drain thoroughly before putting them in a bowl, then add the fresh sage.

Stir the curry powder, the flours into the onion water to form a paste, a bit thicker then double cream, you may need to add more gram flour. Add the onions and mix.

Heat the oil to 180C  then gently lower small spoonful’s of the fritter batter. They should be golf ball size. Cook until they are golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper, then place in a warm oven.

Dust the liver in the seasoned flour. In a non stick frying pan heat the oil, then add the liver. Fry them for about 2 minutes, when they are golden on one side turn them over.  Add two tablespoons of the bacon butter, and baste the liver with it. Squeeze in the lime juice and baste again. When they are cooked 4 minutes in total remove from the pan and let the rest.  Return the pan to the heat and add the vinegar and stock and whisk together.

Cook the bacon slice quickly over a medium heat until crisp.

To Serve place some creamed potatoes on a plate, and then put a piece of liver on top. Pour over the bacon butter sauce from the frying pan.  Top with the fritter and bacon rashers.

Original recipe Tom Kerridge Best ever dishes