Making this classic beef liver and onions took me back to my childhood. Creamy, velvety and earthy, that’s how a perfectly seared liver tastes. Paired with sweet sauteed onions and some fresh thyme it makes a perfect home-made meal.
Liver with onions is a classic dish. I still remember, when I was just a little girl and a teenager, my mum made liver and onions almost every Sunday. And, she added some creamy mashed potato on aside. I loved that. Yummy! A perfect Sunday lunch.
Important liver steps
Firstly, always buy fresh liver (but I think there is no need to tell you that). Secondly, rinse it with water and carefully trim off the stubborn membrane and small tubers. It requires some patience but eventually, you’ll have tendons-free liver slices and you could really enjoy the dish. Additionally, some people soak the liver in milk, in order to add more of a complex flavour and to purge the blood.
Thirdly, another common use is to flour the liver. As a result, it will retain the juice. And last but not least, sear the slices only for a couple of minutes. In fact, if you cook them for too long, they’ll result dry with a dirt-kind of texture. Perfectly prepared liver should be still pink on the inside, tender, mouth-melting and velvety.
Moreover, the liver is not only delicious but also healthy. They are rich in iron, vitamins A and B, a great source of fat-soluble vitamins and they contain a small amount of fat. Try to introduce it to your menu to make your diet richer.
Sweet onions and fresh thyme
Onions and liver sound like a good match, right? The sweet glazed onion helps to slightly “cut” the metallic (iron) liver taste. In some way is just like with spinach. After eating it, you have that iron taste left in your mouth. Well, it’s the same with liver but a little milder, in my opinion. However, I love the liver flavour.
To finish, I added some fresh herbs. Thyme is a wonderful herb and pairs great with beef liver and onions. You can use either fresh or dry thyme. They both taste great. Also, leaves, as well as stems, are full of flavour. I love to use herbs, such as thyme, also in baking. Check out this colourful carrot tart.
For another, spicy version of livers, check out my green curry chicken livers recipe. Creamy livers with fresh, spicy and lemony curry paste and a touch of coconut. Delicious.
Ingredients for one serving of beef liver and onions:
- 1 Tbsp of Ghee
- 200 g beef liver
- 1 Tbsp of flour
- 1 big yellow onion (sliced)
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- sea salt
To begin, rinse the liver under cold water and properly clean the liver by removing all of the membrane surrounding it and trimming off any tubers. Use a sharp knife to make clean cuts. Tap the slices dry with a paper towel and quickly coat them with a thin layer of flour.
Then, peel and slice the onion and add some Ghee or olive oil in a larger pan. Once the ghee gets hot, add half of the thyme and the onion and saute until glossy and transculent. At this point, push the onion to one side of the pan and add the beef liver. Sear them on both sides on fairly high heat for about 3 minutes.
They are done when nicely seared on the outside but still pink on the inside. In conclusion, nicely arrange the beef liver and onions and garnish with the remaining fresh thyme. Finish with some sea salt. They taste great with some polenta or boiled or mashed potatoes, too.
Enjoy!
