Best Beef Liver with Onions
I love my parents but when I was a child, there were a few dishes I couldn’t stand and I wasn’t allowed to leave the table until I ate it all – does it bring back some painful memories for you as well, lol! I wasn’t a picky eater to begin with and I guess forcing me to eat them helped me later on to keep an open-mind about food.
As I got older, the same dishes I wasn’t too fond about turned out to be moved to “now I like it” list. There weren’t too many and either my taste buds changed or I modified the original recipe from my parents to my liking. There was French Onion Soup Gratinée (I know… who knew!), Bouilli (I couldn’t stand rutabaga and cabbage), Stuffed Peppers (I found them so boring until I decided to improve the recipe), Stuffed Cabbage (cabbage again plus it needed serious improvement), and Split Pea & Ham Soup (just yuk until I grew up).
Besides these was another one and it’s only until later in life that I surprisingly liked it after ordering it for lunch at a diner! Since then, I make sure to cook some twice a year and here it is… the Best Beef Liver with Onions! I know what most of you will say and I have to stop you right now because when it’s prepared properly, it’s actually quite tasty! Of course, it needs caramelized onions and lots of them plus gravy and/or ketchup… I need to squirt that condiment on this protein!
This is an easy recipe to make. Caramelizing the onions takes the most time – about 30 to 35 minutes – and when it comes to the liver pieces, they take less than 5 minutes to cook depending on the thickness. The method I use to cook the onions is the same as my French Onion Soup Gratinée. When they’re nice and soft, I crank the heat to high and sauté them until they get dark blonde. If you prefer them darker, simply cook them longer.
My parents forced me to eat it because it was healthy for me – they were right but after squeezing half a bottle of ketchup on the liver, I’m not too sure if it was still healthy. Here are the facts you should know about liver…
Liver is referred to as a “superfood” – that’s right! Besides being so affordable, it’s loaded with iron and is high in vitamin A, B and C plus has zinc, copper, phosphorus, potassium and selenium. It also contains choline which is important for our brain, nervous system and liver function! The other sources of choline you can find are eggs, salmon, cod, livers (chicken & beef), cauliflower and broccoli.
Some of you might have the impression that liver contains toxins. In reality, the role of the liver is to eliminate them from the body… not storing them! The only thing you should be aware of is consuming excessive amounts of vitamin A can cause illness. Try to balance your diet accordingly.
If you’ve never been a fan of liver, you might change your mind after trying this Best Beef Liver with Onions recipe. It’s not only tasty but healthy as well. With some nice seasoning and caramelized onions, this is a great protein to add to your diet…
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other great beef recipes…
– French Dip with Au Jus
– Tourtière
– Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sherry & Shiitake
– Veal Piccata
– Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy
– Italian Meatballs
– Eye of Round Roast
and for even more beef recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Beef
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Best Beef Liver with Onions
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Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. butter tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed and divided
- 6 cups yellow onions, sliced (Lyonnaise cut) tips & tricks
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1 large clove garlic, pressed
- 1 lb. beef liver, sliced, skinned and deveined
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 1 tsp. hot paprika
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add butter and 1 tbsp. oil. When it starts shimmering, add sliced onions and season with ground sea salt. Stir well and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add pressed garlic and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to blend, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, uncover, stir again and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often.
- When onions are nice and soft, increase the heat to high and sauté them until light brown; about 1 ½ minutes – if prefer darker, sauté them longer.
- Transfer the onions to a bowl while looking after the liver.
- Cut liver into 3 to 4-inch pieces; set aside.
- In a shallow dish, add flour, hot paprika, garlic powder and freshly ground black pepper; mix to combine.
- Working with one piece at a time, coat the liver with the flour mixture, shake off any excess flour and place on a plate while working with the others.
- Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil to the same skillet over medium heat. When hot, add seasoned liver pieces and cook until nice and brown, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side depending on the thickness.
- When done, top the pieces with caramelized onions and serve with mashed potatoes – don’t forget the ketchup!
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