CHARRED LAMBS’ LIVER WITH HORSERADISH-BEETROOT ĆWIKŁA

Liver is incredibly good for you, with practically no fat and plenty of iron, absolutely delicious when prepared well and cheap as chips! What’s not to love? Ćwikła is the name for beetroot and horseradish paired together. Make the salad first, to give it time to ‘bite together’. If you can make the salad the day before, that would be even better! {Serves 2}

FOR THE SPICY BEETROOT (BEET) SALAD

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted

4 tablespoons horseradish sauce

5 cooked beetroots (beet), peeled and roughly grated

FOR THE CHARRED LAMBS’ LIVER

50 g (1¾ oz/3½ tablepsoons) salted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

200 g (7 oz) lamb’s liver, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar salt and white pepper, to taste ground black pepper

First make the beetroot salad. Stir the sugar and salt into the vinegar until dissolved, then add the cumin seeds (reserving half a teaspoon for the top of the salad) and horseradish sauce. Pour over the cooled, grated beetroot and mix well together. Sprinkle the reserved cumin seeds over the top. Place in the fridge to chill while you prepare the liver.

Melt half the butter in a frying pan (skillet) over a low heat and gently fry the shallot for about 20 minutes – when the edges start becoming crispy, remove the shallot from the pan.

Add a knob of the remaining butter to the pan and fry the liver over a high heat for about 1½ minutes on each side, shaking the pan from time to time while it’s cooking.

Add the shallot back to the pan with the liver and fry together for no longer than 30–40 seconds – you want the liver to remain pink in the middle.

Remove the liver and shallot from the pan and allow them to rest for a few moments, covered, while you melt the last of the butter in the pan. Once it’s sizzling, add the vinegar, some freshly ground black pepper and simmer so that it reduces slightly.

Pour this sauce over the liver and serve immediately with the salad on the side and perhaps some crusty bread.

{Time: 25 minutes, plus chilling time}