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If you’ve stumbled upon this recipe by accident and are now asking yourself “why would anyone want to make beef liver pâté?”… well, I have two answers for you. First, preparing beef liver this way is actually quite delicious. And second, liver is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can possibly consume, so why not figure out ways to get it into your diet?
My family enjoys beef liver two different ways. The most common (because it’s the most convenient) is that I purée beef liver and then freeze it in an ice cube tray like this one to be used in smaller portions anytime I’m preparing a ground beef recipe. This way, no one knows it’s there. The other way we love it (even me… and I REALLY don’t like the taste of liver) is this beef liver pâté recipe.
Beef Liver
I am always encouraging you to purchase meats from a local farm. I even wrote a whole post on how to do this. And for organ meats, especially liver, I’d strongly suggest to make sure you’re getting liver from healthy cows.
Liver is an incredibly nutrient dense food, containing essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. It is touted by many cultures as the most sought after and sacred food. To take a deeper dive into all that liver has to offer and why you should go out of your way to include it regularly, read this article from The Weston A Price Foundation.
Soak the Liver in Milk
The liver should already come sliced in thin (about a half inch thick) strips. Rinse the liver, place it in a bowl, and cover it with milk. Let it soak for an hour or so… this tenderizes the meat and helps to pull out blood and impurities. After it has soaked, drain the liver in a colander and discard the milk.
Next, pat the liver dry and sprinkle both sides with salt. All ingredients measurements are listed in the recipe below. Set this aside while you cook the onion and garlic.
Grab your food processor and cast iron skillet
Over medium heat, melt one stick of butter in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Add the sliced onion and cook 3-5 minutes, or until tender and translucent.
Once the onion is soft, add the garlic and cook another minute. Then pour the onion, garlic, and melted butter that’s in the pan into the food processor.
Add 1/4 cup butter to the pan and melt over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, place the liver in the pan and sear it, about 30 seconds on either side.
Place the liver and the rest of the melted butter from the pan into the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter to the food processor. Carefully turn the food processor on and purée until smooth.
Transfer the Beef Liver Pâté to a container with a tight fitting lid and chill it. Serve it with crackers and stoneground mustard, if desired. It’s a delicious, nutrient dense snack for the whole family!
Leave a comment below letting me know if you tried this recipe and what you thought! What are other ways you love liver?
Beef Liver Pâté
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb Beef Liver
- 1-1½ cups Milk
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter, divided
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 2 Garlic cloves, roughly diced
Instructions
- Rinse the liver, place it in a bowl, and cover it with milk. Let it soak for an hour. After it has soaked, drain the liver in a colander and discard the milk.1 lb Beef Liver, 1-1½ cups Milk
- Pat the liver dry and sprinkle both sides with salt. Set aside.2 tsp Salt
- Over medium heat, melt one stick of butter in a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan. Add the sliced onion and cook 3-5 minutes, or until tender and translucent.1 Onion, sliced, 1 cup Unsalted Butter, divided
- Once onion is soft, add garlic and cook another minute. Then pour onion, garlic, and melted butter in pan into the food processor.2 Garlic cloves, roughly diced
- Add 1/4 cup butter to the pan and melt over medium high heat. Once butter is melted, place the liver in the pan and sear it, about 30 seconds on either side.1 cup Unsalted Butter, divided
- Place liver and the rest of the melted butter into the food processor. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter to the food processor. Carefully turn the food processor on and purée until smooth.1 cup Unsalted Butter, divided
- Transfer the beef liver pâté to a container with a tight fitting lid and chill it. Serve it with crackers and stoneground mustard, if desired. It's a delicious, nutrient dense snack for the whole family!
Video
Nutrition
Quick and easy for entertaining and guest loved it.
Glad to hear it… thanks, Crystal!
I just made it and it is delicious! I used about half beef tallow to butter though. I honestly couldn’t even wait to chill it totally, I am noshing on a little right now with some cauliflower.
I haven’t thought about using some tallow! I bet that would be good. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!