45 mins
Devilled Kidneys
Recipe by Graham
Nothing religious about this dish despite the name! In fact, Devilled Kidneys is a traditional British recipe, originating in the Victorian era for lamb's kidneys fried in a spicy sauce and traditionally served for breakfast in the "better" Victorian household with fried eggs and toast, though that shouldn't stop you from eating them any time of day! There are several variations of this recipe, but here is the straightforward version that you can garnish with small triangles of fried bread that tastes just delectable.
Like many of our recipes, this is an easy dish to prepare, not relying too much on exact measurements. A little more of this and a pinch less of the other won't make much of a difference. Go with what tastes good to you and you won't go far wrong.
Devilled Eggs 
Devils on Horseback Ingredients for Devilled Kidneys
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Devilled Kidneys
- Melt 1oz (25g) of butter in a pan, add the onions and fry till they begin to turn golden brown (about 5 minutes at medium heat). Add the beef stock, mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and paprika plus salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid is well reduced (about 20 minutes).
- Slice the kidneys crossways and remove the white cores. If you find that removing the core from the kidneys is causing you a problem, make sure your knife is short, sharp and pointed! Otherwise, just ask the butcher to do it for you! Season the flour with salt and pepper and use to dust the kidneys. Melt the remaining butter in a separate pan, add the kidneys and fry them over a medium heat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. If you want to cut one in two to test if it's cooked, it should be just pink in the middle. Pour the sauce over the top and allow to keep warm in the pan while you prepare the garnish.
If you want to create fried bread that is slightly garlic-flavoured, peel and crush (mince) the garlic, add it to the duck fat and heat in a frying pan until it is very hot (almost smoking). Meanwhile, cut the crusts off the bread and cut them twice diagonally to make 4 small triangles from each slice. Pour the milk into a saucer or shallow dish and dunk the bread triangles on both sides in the milk. This prevents them from absorbing too much fat and keeps the middle of the bread nice and moist.- Place the bread in the frying pan (stand back - it sizzles!), leave for about 30 seconds, then check the underside to see if it's browning. Keep checking until it is golden brown then turn the bread over and cook the other side in the same way. You will almost certainly find that you have to add more fat as you cook. Keep the fried bread warm as you cook them in batches.
- To serve, transfer the kidneys in their sauce to a warmed serving dish, and arrange the fried bread triangles around the edge. Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top and take it straight to the table.
- ** If you can't get English mustard powder (that really hot stuff), use two tablespoons of Meaux or Dijon mustard instead.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
After you have removed the core from the kidneys leave them in a bowl of water and red wine vinegar (10:1) for about 15 minutes before using. This will remove the strong taste associated with any kidneys. When ready to use, remove from the water/vinegar mixture and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Reviews of Devilled Kidneys
| March 07 2015 Very, very tasty. I've always loved kidneys, but never tried the "devilled" variety and I've got to say it's a real nice addition to my keepers file. Also, this is the first place I've seen on the web that talks about soaking the kidneys in vinegar and water to remove the strong tastes. Yet this is something my mom always did before cooking kidneys. Particularly with pig's kidneys, the taste can be almost unpleasant otherwise. sergie (5 reviews) |
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