Liver Skillet Supper

The grass going gold by August. Standard. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.

Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.

Beef burgers in the backyard. The standard. Eighty-twenty grind. Cheddar from the local creamery.

I sat on the porch with coffee Sunday morning before chores. The mountains were the mountains.

The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.

A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.

Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.

A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.

Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.

Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.

Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.

Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.

Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.

Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.

Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.

The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.

The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.

Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.

Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.

Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.

The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.

Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.

Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.

The burgers got made on a Sunday, backyard, eighty-twenty, cheddar from the creamery — that’s the standard. But midweek, after the chute hinge and the heifer and the fence line and the auction yard, you want something that comes together in one pan and doesn’t ask much of you. Liver skillet supper is that. Patrick used to make it on the nights when supper had to happen fast and the day had already taken everything else. I make it now.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb beef liver, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Prep the liver. Rinse liver slices under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. If the slices are large, cut them into serving-size pieces.
Dredge. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Dredge each liver slice in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
Sear the liver. Heat butter and oil together in a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add liver slices in a single layer — do not crowd the pan. Cook 2—3 minutes per side until browned. Remove to a plate and set aside. Do not overcook.
Cook the vegetables. In the same skillet, add onion rings and bell pepper strips. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to caramelize, about 6—8 minutes.
Build the pan sauce. Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir to combine.
Finish together. Return the liver slices to the skillet, nestling them into the onions and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes until liver is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Serve. Plate directly from the skillet over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or with a thick slice of bread to catch the pan gravy.

Nutrition (per serving)

Liver Skillet Supper — Ranch Cooking When the Week Has Already Done the Work