Potatoes with Chicken Liver

Liver and potatoes

1. Potatoes with chicken liver turn out best when baked in a clay pan. By the way, you can do this either in the oven or in a wood-fired oven.

2. Rinse the whole pieces of liver, and remove any remaining bile. Pat them dry with a paper towel, because you don’t want extra moisture.

   

3. Put the liver in a bowl, add salt, black pepper and 1-2 pinches of dried savory, and leave for 10 mins.

4. Wash the potatoes and cut them into wedges. We usually don’t peel the potatoes and bake them with the skin on. The wedges should be thin enough to cook through, so don’t cut them too thick.

5. Put the potatoes in a bowl, add a little salt, 0.5 tsp sweet paprika, and hot red pepper if you like. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and mix.

   

Frying the liver

1. Heat all the remaining vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

2. Dredge the pieces of chicken liver in flour and put them in the hot oil.

3. Fry the liver until a golden crust forms. You don’t need to cook it through: the crust is what matters, and the liver will finish cooking in the oven. After turning, you can simply stir the pieces with a spatula for better browning.

   

Baking

1. Cut the peeled onions into thick strips and add them to the potatoes.

2. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into thin strips. The hot pepper can simply be cut into rings, as much as you like. Add the peppers to the potatoes and mix all the vegetables.

   

3. Prepare the clay pan: pour hot water into it so it soaks into the pores, then pour it out after a few minutes.

4. Put all the vegetables into the prepared pan and level them. Add coarsely chopped garlic cloves.

5. Place the fried pieces of chicken liver on top of the vegetables. There’s no need to stir, just toss lightly so the pieces are evenly distributed. Drizzle the potatoes with the oil left over from frying the liver.

6. Cover the pan with the lid, so the potatoes have time to cook, and put it into a cold oven.

   

7. Turn the oven on to 200°C. Clay doesn’t tolerate sudden temperature changes well, so the pan should be heated gradually, together with the oven. After 15-20 mins the contents will heat up and steam will appear.

8. Bake covered for another 15 mins, until the potatoes are soft. Check that they are done by piercing the wedges with a toothpick.

9. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for another 20 mins, until everything is fully cooked and the potatoes are browned. Don’t worry, the chicken liver won’t burn.

Serving

1. Move the pan onto a clay or ceramic plate. Use oven mitts, the dish is very hot. Dishes like this are usually served right in the pan.

2. Before serving, sprinkle the potatoes with finely chopped parsley or green onion.

   

   All you need to serve with the dish is fresh bread. If you like, add homemade tomato sauce or a fresh vegetable salad. You can eat the potatoes and chicken liver straight from the pan or put them on your plate. This dish can be made for two, for a family or for a big feast: choose the pan size for the occasion and increase the amount of ingredients proportionally.