Roast veges and fried liver

I'm always trying to get more fat into our diet. (I know, most people are trying to do the opposite). So the other night I cut up potatoes, carrots, squash, and eggplant, and roasted them slowly for a few hours in salt and a few tablespoons of duck fat (I keep it in the freezer, and just slice off some when I need it). Very yummy.

The liver is another toughie for people to get their head around. Why liver you ask? Like other healthy fats such as butter and coconut oil, it's full of Vitamins A and D, and natural cholesterol - all vital to good health. It won't give you a heart attack (that's a tired old arguement), but can actually protect you from this disease and many others. Traditional societies revered liver as a sacred food, and thought it was quite essential to good fertility. Plenty of scientific evidence abounds to calm your fears if you feel you need it. The Weston Price website is a good place to start.

Of course the whole organ meat thing is hard to overcome for a lot of people (especially those of us who were force-fed it as kids - my mum used to put sugar on it to entice us to eat it). It took us a while to get the cooking of it right, and now we find it delicious, and one of our favourite meals of the week. The kids love it and we end up scrambling for the leftovers. So here's my recipe.

Half of one lamb's fry
Half cup of flour in a small plastic bag
Salt
Milk
Fat for frying (tallow or lard are my favourites, but butter or coconut oil will do)

If it's in the freezer take the liver out the night before to thaw. The morning before you're going to cook it, soak it in a bowl of milk so it's covered. Then when you're ready to cook it peel off the fine 'skin' on the liver, and slice the liver into large but thin pieces. If you find some veiny bits you can cut them off too. They're a bit tough. Pat dry your liver slices and put them in the bag of flour with salt to taste (I like plenty).

Heat up your fat to quite a high temperature, and fry the liver very quickly on each side. It's best if it is still slightly pink in the middle. IIt's good to eat the liver straight away, so if you have your roast veges all ready to go, and maybe some pickled carrots or cabbage as a condiment, then you'll have a beautiful meal to eat. My five and two year olds love this meal, and one of them is a very picky eater.

By the way, as I love to mention, liver is cheap. We buy organic lambs liver for AUS $3 per meal, with leftovers. And it's even cheaper if you think about the nutrient-density of the food (ie, what you're getting for your money). Enjoy.

Emily