I cherish the smothered liver and onions with gravy recipe very much. Smothered liver and onions together give something different in both taste and texture.
It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not: smothered liver and onions make a perfect, very “Dutchie” and Coal Region dish. Numerous hotels, restaurants, and diners offer it both all over America and worldwide. I love the beef liver, yet I have an equal liking for the calves’ liver which I believe is more delicate than the smothered liver.
I usually make thin slices of the liver. Sometimes I soak it in milk before starting the cooking process. I love the beef liver covered/smothered with caramelized onions; I also add bacon sometimes. Then I make a thick gravy to present with the smothered liver. Put together every little detail, and this recipe will make you feel at home in any situation or at any time of the day.
Try other gravy recipes: The Chuck eye steak recipe slow cooker and Cracker-barrel hamburger steak recipe.
Ingredients of Smothered liver and onions
- Finely sliced beef or calves liver (2 pounds; about 860 grams)
- All-purpose flour (1 cup)
- Milk for soaking (2 cups, or as per your liking)
- Divided butter (1/4 cup)
- Thinly sliced sweet onions (2 cups)
- To taste, pepper (as per your liking)
- To taste, salt (as per your liking)
For the Gravy
- All-purpose flour (2 tablespoons)
- Butter (2 tablespoons)
- Beef broth (1 cup or a bit more)
- To taste, pepper
- To taste, salt
Directions
- Rinse the beef liver slices in running water. Then gradually soak the liver slices in milk and keep it soaked for at least one hour. Meanwhile, start preparing the onions for the recipe.
- Put 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet and melt it properly over medium-high heat. Separate the slices of onion in one layer and sprinkle in a suitable amount of salt all over the slices. Then sauté the onion slices in the butter until they become caramelized and soft. Take the onion slices down, and set them aside.
- Melt the rest of the butter in the same process. Use pepper and salt to season the all-purpose flour and set it aside in a skillet or shallow dish.
- Take the liver slices out of the milk, drain off the excess milk and dredge them using the previously made and seasoned flour mixture. Then get rid of the excessive flour by gently tapping the liver slices.
- Now, cook the floured liver slices over medium-high temperature until they become brown on the bottom with a nice texture. Flip over the slices and repeat the same cooking process until browned. Then reduce the heat, add up the caramelized onions the liver slices and finish the cooking process.
Pro tips: Cut off a little piece of liver and taste to ensure the level of their done-ness. Don’t overcook the liver.
- Then, remove the liver and onions from the cooking pot to a plate. Cover the plate using foil to make sure it remains warm and set it aside carefully.
- Set the temperature to medium-low, scrape up the remaining pieces and bits from the bottom of the pan. Melt them thoroughly, sprinkle in the all-purpose flour (2 tablespoons). Cook the flour, liver bits, and pieces for 2 minutes, whisking very frequently.
- Then gently add the cup of beef broth or stock, whichever you are using, whisking constantly. Cook the ingredients until they thicken finely. Then, finish cooking the smothered liver and onions with gravy recipe by adding some pepper and salt.
You can adjust the amount of salt and pepper by tasting the gravy. Then serve the dish immediately with the red-hot gravy and win hearts!
Recipe Note
Remember to reduce the temperature of the skillet before adding the butter. Adding the butter while the temperature is high will burn off the butter.
The gravy must be consistent enough before you add the liver. If the gravy remains too thin, keep cooking for some more time with the lid open. On the contrary, if the gravy feels too thick, add a little more water and ensure the desired consistency.
Nutritional Information
| Nutrient Fact (Per 206-gram serving) | Value | Daily Value |
| Calories | 303.7(1275.54 kJ) | – |
| Protein | 34.1 g | 56% |
| Alcohol | 0 grams | – |
| Carbohydrates | 14.0 g | 11% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 g | 7% |
| Sugars | 0.3g | 78% |
| Total Fat | 11.7 g | 13% |
| Saturated Fat | 2.3 g | 19.78% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2 grams | – |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2.4 g | – |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4.0 g | – |
| Cholesterol | 448.8 mg | 160% |
| Vitamin A | – | 718.9 % |
| Vitamin B-12 | – | 1,333.2 % |
| Vitamin B-6 | – | 60.6 % |
| Vitamin C | – | 7.1 % |
| Vitamin E | – | 6.1 % |
| Niacin Equivalents | 2.4 milligrams | 56% |
| Iron | 34 milligrams | 20% |
| Potassium | 464.2 mg | 33.5% |
| Sodium | 323.5 mg | 18% |
| Calcium | – | 1.6 % |
| Copper | – | 810.9 % |
| Folate | – | 76.1 % |
| Magnesium | – | 7.3 % |
| Iron | – | 43.5 % |
| Manganese | – | 24.9 % |
| Niacin | – | 101.4 % |
| Pantothenic Acid | – | 81.2 % |
A frequently heard and wrongly believed concern about eating liver is that it contains poisons. However, the liver doesn’t store poisons. Rather, its responsibility is to deal with poisons and make them safe or transform them into something that can be securely eliminated from the body.
So, it is totally safe to eat a liver that simply holds a color of pink within. Prepare the recipe now…