Devilled venison kidneys with wilted greens on toast
Quick ideas
Devilled venison kidneys with wilted greens on toast
Devilled kidneys are an old-fashioned classic, great for an indulgent breakfast, lunch or light dinner. Their earthy richness pairs well with wilted greens – you could use spinach, chard or kale. Cavolo nero (black kale) is particularly good with this. Spinach leaves will take 1 minute to cook, chard leaves 2-3, and kale 3-4. We've used venison here, but lamb works too. If you prefer your kidneys a little less strong in flavour, soak them in milk for half an hour before cooking. To bulk up the portions, you could also add some sliced, fried mushrooms on top of the greens, or eat with rice instead of toast.
Ingredients
- oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
- 150-200g leafy greens e.g. spinach, chard or kale, stalks removed
- 50g butter
- 2 venison kidneys
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp dry sherry (or try masala)
- splash Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp English mustard powder
- 4 tbsp double cream
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 large slices of warm buttered toast
- 2 lemon wedges (optional)
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Boil the greens in salted water until tender, drained, refreshed in cold water, drained again, then squeeze off excess liquid. Chop and leave to one side.
-
Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add the shallot or onion and fry on a low heat for a few minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
-
Step 3
Stir in the half the butter to melt it, then the greens. Season, stir and remove from the heat. Keep somewhere warm while you cook the kidneys, or gently reheat to serve.
-
Step 4
Peel off the thin skin covering the kidney (if there's any left on). Cut the kidneys in half lengthways. In the middle you will see a white core – cut this out as it shrinks up and toughens when it cooks (use kitchen scissors to snip it if you have any, it's easier).
-
Step 5
Put the plain flour in a shallow dish and season. Add the kidneys and toss in the flour to coat. Melt the rest of the butter in a small frying pan. Add the kidneys. Fry on a high heat for 1½ minutes each side.
-
Step 6
Add the sherry, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and mustard powder. Stir well; it will reduce very quickly.
-
Step 7
Add the cream and bubble until you have a thick sauce coating the kidneys. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Check the seasoning.
-
Step 8
Pile the greens on the toast, then add the kidneys. Serve with a wedge of lemon each to squeeze over the top if you like; this helps to cut through the richness.
