Description
Turkish fried beef liver is absolutely delicious! Lemon juice and a dash of spices are the perfect counterpoints to the slightly sweet liver.
Ingredients
Scale
For the fried beef liver:
- 2 medium-sized starchy potatoes, such as Russets or King Edwards
- frying oil, I used about 700ml (3 cups) of peanut oil
- 50g all-purpose flour (⅓ cup)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin, heaped
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 500g beef liver, or lamb or veal liver
To serve:
- 1 lemon, quartered
- ground cumin
- Aleppo pepper (pul biber), or use another type of chili flakes
- dried red chilies (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and wash them under running water. Dice the potatoes into 1.5cm (⅔ in) cubes and put them into a big bowl. Cover them with cold water and let them soak for 30 min. Drain the cubed potatoes in a colander and dry them thoroughly between several layers of paper towels.
- Fry the potatoes. Heat a large saucepan over high heat no more than a third full with oil to 170°C (340°F), or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Lower the temperature to medium-high. Gently place half of the potatoes in the hot oil and fry for 7 to 8 min, stirring them often with a slotted spoon. Once cooked (they should be tender with a crisp exterior and have specks of brown), transfer the potatoes to a plate lined with several layers of paper towels to drain. Check the oil temperature and wait if needed until it heats up to the right temperature again. Fry the rest of the potatoes following the same method.
- Prepare the liver. While the potatoes are cooking, pat dry the liver between several layers of paper towels to remove the excess blood. Slice the liver into 3cm (1 in) pieces, about 1.5cm (⅔ in) thick. If you decide to cut thicker chunks, you’ll have to increase the cooking time. Mix the flour, salt, cumin and black pepper in a large bowl. Toss the liver slices in the seasoned flour until coated. Shake off the excess flour. Don’t dredge the liver chunks in advance or the chunks will absorb the flour and they’ll stick together if they touch. Do this step just before frying the liver. Line a serving dish with several layers of paper towels.
- Fry the liver. Bring the oil back at 170°C (340°F) once you are ready to cook the liver. Gently place half of the liver slices in the hot oil and fry for 1 min 15, giving them a stir midway through frying. They will darken and get crispy corners. Overcooked liver really isn’t nice. It’s dry, tough and chewy, so stick around while frying. If you want to make sure that the liver pieces are safe to eat, remove one piece and check the internal temperature with the thermometer. It should be over 65°C (150°F). If you don’t have a thermometer, cut the piece. If it’s still red inside, keep frying for 15 seconds more and check again. Use the slotted spoon to remove the liver from the pan to the serving dish. Cook the remaining liver in the same fashion, making sure first that the oil is at the right temperature. The fried beef liver will look golden brown just after frying but it will darken while cooling down.
- Serve. Scatter the cubed potatoes over the liver and quickly serve. Let everyone sprinkle extra cumin, some chili flakes and a good drizzle of lemon juice over their own plates. If you want to serve the dried red chilies alongside this meal, fry them in hot oil for 30 seconds beforehand.
Notes
If you are worried about the potatoes getting cold while you fry the liver, you can keep them warm in a low oven. After draining them, place the cubed potatoes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place the tray in an oven preheated to 120°C (250°F). However since you only need a few minutes to cook the liver slices I usually don’t bother with this!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 generous plate
- Calories: 632
Keywords: offal meat, turkish meat recipes, nose to tail recipes