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. This Beef Liver Spread is packed with deep umami flavor—perfect for enriching dishes or serving with crackers.

How to make Beef Liver Spread

Ingredients

• 1 pound beef liver, cut into large pieces
• 2 cups whole milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 2 peeled and quartered shallots
• 2 garlic cloves sliced in half
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Directions

1. Add the liver to a bowl and submerge it in the milk. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. This will help remove any impurities.
2. Remove the liver, rinse, and pat dry very well.
3. In a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter.
4. Once melted, add the livers, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until very lightly browned on the edges.
5. Add the shallots and garlic, and sauté for an additional 7 to 8 minutes, or until everything is browned.
6. Transfer to food processor or blender. Pulse on high speed while adding in the additional butter. It should become like a paste. Stop and scrape as many times as needed.
7. Finish by pulsing in the thyme, cream, salt, and pepper.
8. Chill until cold and serve with assorted crackers.

Notes

The single most important tip we can share with you is to always soak the liver in milk first. We can’t emphasize this enough. This step tenderizes the meat and softens its strong flavor, leaving behind a mild, pleasant taste that even first-time liver eaters will love.

Dry the liver: Take time patting the liver dry with paper towels before sautéing it in the skillet. If it’s damp, it will steam and turn an ugly gray color on the surface. I know the color doesn’t really make a difference when you’re stirring this into beef stew, but why not make the best-looking and best-tasting liver spread you can, right?

Don’t overcook the liver: Overcooked liver gets a tough and grainy texture. It’s best to err on the side of slightly undercooked when sautéing the liver. I always pull it off the heat as soon as the edges are browned and the center’s still a touch pink.

Blend while it’s warm: Get the liver in the food processor ASAP! Warm liver helps the butter emulsify, giving the spread an ultra-smooth, glossy finish. Cold liver just doesn’t blend as nicely and will leave small chunks of butter in the spread.

Make-Ahead: This beef liver pâté tastes even better when made ahead. I like to make it at least 1 day in advance and let it chill in the fridge overnight.