Liver Stuffing Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Moistening the stuffing with a puréed mixture of sautéed livers and stock infuses the entire dish with a pâté-like richness.

I bet you've never looked at your Thanksgiving stuffing and thought, gee, wouldn't it be ten times better if it had liver in it?

Stuffing, after all, is already a perfect food. A tender, carb-heavy side imbued with the essence of meat. It contains loads of butter, and sometimes, eggs. So, it's sort of custard-like as well.

In fact, I'm of the opinion that stuffing is, hands down, the best thing about Thanksgiving. Not the turkey, because I can get my crispy skin on any old day. Not the pie, because it is acceptable to eat pie year-round. But stuffing really only shows up around the holidays, and this, for the life of me, is something I will never understand.

I remember eating stuffing as a little girl, maybe a few years out of China, and thinking:Why don't you Americans eat stuffing every day? It is just so incredibly good.

But take my word for it: if you love stuffing, and you happen to love or even like liver, then your Thanksgiving stuffing will be made ten times better with the addition of liver.

The liver enriches the dish in a way that no other cut of meat can. Sausage can't hold a candle to liver as a flavoring for stuffing because it's still a separate ingredient from stuffing. In this recipe, liver invades the stuffing. It is like an alien invading a host until the two are one and the same.

You do this, by first sautéing a few livers, then puréeing them with some of the stock that goes to moisten the bread. In this way, you get liver-flavored bread, and if you don't think that would be any good, well, just think about pâté, think of foie gras, and how very rich and creamy and delicious these liver products are.

Now I must confess thatBen Fishneris the progenitor of liver stuffing,an idea he got when he thought about making stuffing with giblets.

Liver Stuffing Recipe (1)

Ben, for his trials, used two to three chicken livers in his liver purée. But for this batch, I had at least five or six livers in the pan. (Operating under the presumption thatmore livers = more liver taste.) I sautéed them in lots of butter, then mixed in Ben's excellent homemade chicken stock, and the eggs. I puréed the whole thing until it was chunky-smooth, because I wanted to leave a clear indication of the liver involved. The result was this very rich liquid that I sipped and sipped, until Ben reminded me that we were supposed to be using said liquid for the stuffing. (He also said, upon seeing the utter gustatory pleasure I took in sipping, that "they sure broke the mold when they made you," which was just about the nicest thing someone had said to me in a long time.)

The rest is history. The mixture baked beautifully—crispy on the surface, all custard-like in the center. The tiny bits of liver which I had left un-puréed adhered to the bread like little pats of smeared pâté. It was rich and intensely liver-y. And, just to be a glutton, I served another couple of chicken livers alongside the stuffing, searing them until the centers were just cooked and had ceased to be blood-red. (Turkey? What turkey?)

And as for the stuffing leftovers, well, I am having trouble deciding whether I love it better hot or cold. I love it pan-fried in the skillet, but it is also extremely good right out of the fridge. Pan-fried, it tastes decidedly bread-like. But cold? Cold, it bears an uncanny resemblance to pâté. So much so that I had a plate of it with a glass of wine, and felt very indulgent indeed.

November 2012

Recipe Details

Liver Stuffing Recipe

Active45 mins

Total2 hrs 30 mins

Serves4to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (about one medium-sized loaf) high quality sandwich bread or soft Italian or French bread, cut into 3/4-inch dice, about 8 cups

  • 1 stick butter

  • 2 medium-sized onions, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

  • 3 ribs celery, diced (about 1 cup)

  • 5 to 6 chicken livers (about 10 ounces)

  • 1 quart low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken or turkey stock

  • 2 whole eggs

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

  1. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread bread evenly over 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread cubes are completely dried, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating trays and stirring bread cubes several times during baking. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Increase oven heat to 375°F (190°C).

  2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and celery and sauté over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

  3. Pat livers dry with a paper towel and cut into 2-inch segments. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the pan over high heat. Add livers and cook until well browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until centers are medium-rare, about 1 minute longer. Remove livers and add 1 cup of stock to pan. Remove from heat.

  4. In a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender, purée livers with the deglazing liquid until mixture is mostly smooth with a few small chunks of liver remaining. Set aside.

    Liver Stuffing Recipe (2)

  5. Whisk remaining stock, eggs, and dried herbs in large bowl until hom*ogeneous. Whisk in liver mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in bread cubes, onions, and celery.

  6. Use part of stuffing to stuff bird if desired. To cook remaining stuffing, transfer to a buttered 9-inch square baking dish, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F (66°C) when inserted into center of dish, about 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until golden brown and crisp on top, about 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

    Liver Stuffing Recipe (3)

Special Equipment

One 9-inch square baking dish,instant-read thermometer

Notes

This recipe can be doubled easily. To double, bake the stuffing in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

Read More

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  • Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Sage Recipe
  • Chicken Liver Pâté With Bourbon and Cranberry Gelée Recipe
  • How to Make Chopped Liver: The Jewish Foie Gras
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  • Thanksgiving Stuffings
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Liver Stuffing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of cooking liver? ›

It's very simple to make but the three things that will set your liver above all others are: 1) soak in milk, 2) turn the liver as little as possible when cooking, and 3) don't overcook.

Is it better to soak liver in milk or lemon juice? ›

Milk. While we are used to soaking liver in vinegar or lemon to get rid of the bad smell and kill any remaining toxins, American and European chefs advise to soak liver in milk. Yes, that's right: Milk! They claim that in addition to getting rid of toxins that usually are present in raw liver, milk helps tenderizing it ...

How do you cook liver so it tastes good? ›

Liver has a distinct and strong flavor that is tough for some to get over. Cooking it with pungent foods really tones down the "liverness" of the dish. To Do: I believe onions and garlic are almost a necessity when cooking liver. Also try bacon, chilies, and aromatic herbs like thyme or sage.

Do you wash blood off the liver before cooking? ›

Soaking liver in milk or saltwater can pull out any leftover blood and improve the flavor.

Why soak liver in milk before cooking? ›

Soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for 30-60 minutes. This is an important step in removing the bitter flavor from the liver. Salt and pepper the liver generously, and leave it out at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

What makes liver taste better? ›

Soak liver in milk for 1-2 hours before cooking.

If you follow a strict paleo diet, you can use coconut milk instead of dairy milk; you'll get the same benefit of mellowing out the flavor. Buttermilk is also a great option!

How often should you eat liver? ›

It's possible, and dangerous, to get too much vitamin A. Eating large amounts of liver can lead to symptoms of vitamin A toxicity, which happens when your own liver can't process the excess vitamin A quickly enough. Most doctors recommend that people without vitamin deficiencies eat just one serving of liver per week.

What happens if you overcook the liver? ›

If you overcook liver, it will develop a tough and grainy texture. The appropriate cook time for a beef liver will depend on the size of the meat and your cooking method. If you are cooking a whole liver in a skillet on medium to high heat, it should be ready to eat within ten minutes.

How to get rid of bitter taste in the liver? ›

Place your liver in a bowl with filtered water. Add 4-8 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or whole milk (raw preferred.) Allow to soak for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. The time you soak is determined by the thickness of your slices and your texture preferences.

Should I rinse liver before cooking? ›

Do not wash or rinse raw meat or poultry before you cook it. Washing can cause bacteria found on the surface of meat or poultry to be spread to ready-to-eat foods, kitchen utensils, and counter surfaces. This is called cross-contamination. Rinse fruits and vegetables before eating.

Why does liver go mushy when cooked? ›

If liver is to be sauteed, it should be purchased fresh, not frozen, since freezing breaks down the tissue and can make the finished dish a bit mushy. However, frozen liver, calf or beef, is perfectly acceptable for recipes that involve grinding up the meat.

What makes cooked liver bitter? ›

That bitterness is, to some degree, inherent in liver of all kinds but made worse by overcooking. That's the key here, avoid overcooking. Milk or Buttermilk. Milk will get rid of a lot of the bitterness and gamey flavor.

Should liver be room temperature before cooking? ›

Tips for cooking

Start with the liver at room temperature, and do not crowd the pan! Skillet size should match quantity and heat source. Liver should be pink in the middle and is done when juices run clear. Meat and poultry livers are typically interchangeable.

How to remove smell from liver? ›

Smell the liver and if it smells too bad, soak it in milk in the fridge for 30 minutes~1 hour. Then rinse off the milk with water. Fresh liver should not have a strong bad smell. Soaking in milk removes the bad smell, but the flavour typical of liver is lost.

Why put chicken liver in milk? ›

Soak chicken livers in milk for up to a couple of hours to help remove any strong flavors. Place livers in a colander and rinse under cold water; discard milk. Cut each liver in half. Pour ½ cup oil into large skillet and bring to 350°.

What are the most appropriate cooking methods for liver? ›

Liver is extremely nutritious and less expensive than most beef products. It's very lean, so it's most often pan-seared quickly to brown and keep it from drying out, although it can also be baked, braised, grilled or made into paté or liverwurst.

Should liver be cooked fast or slow? ›

Since a raw liver has high water content, you have to cook it rapidly with medium to high heat. If you try slow cooking a liver, the meat will become dehydrated, leading to tough fibers and dry, chewy meat. Cook liver and other organ meats until they reach a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Does liver get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

One way to prevent beef liver from becoming tough is to cook it quickly over high heat. Overcooking liver can make it tough and dry, so it's important to cook it just until it's no longer pink inside. This will help maintain its tenderness.

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