Old Country Chopped Liver

By Dr_Mom

Gehockte Leber

This forspeis is so simple and straightforward that it is underappreciated as the gourmet dish it really is. My general rules for making chopped liver are:

1. Use only chicken liver to make this dish. Do not use beef or calf liver. Their flavors are too strong.
2. Use schmaltz. Do not substitute oil or any other fat. If you are concerned about cholesterol, eat chopped liver less often, but eat the uncompromised version. Anyway, the amount of schmaltz per portion of chopped liver in this recipe is the equivalent of no more than one pat of butter.
3. Chop all the ingredients by hand rather than by machine. Chopped liver should not look like a puree or a pâté.
4. Eat it in small portions — it is very rich — and make it only for special occasions. Then you eat it less often and enjoy it more when you do.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken livers (fresh, not previously frozen)
• 2 cups finely chopped onions
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 6 Tblsp. schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)
• salt and black pepper to taste
• a few gribenes (optional) (the 'cracklings' left after the chicken fat is rendered)

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat broiler to 500°. Broil livers on broiler rack 4 inches from the heat source for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the oven and finely chop livers.

Melt 6 Tbl. schmaltz in skillet and sauté onions over medium/low heat until soft and just beginning to brown. Add chopped liver pieces and sauté 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

Pour contents of skillet into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, chop the eggs and add them to the liver mixture. Mix in the salt, pepper, and gribenes (if using). Mix everything together until well blended. Chill at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.