COOK: Venison Leberknödel – How to Make German Liver Dumplings
Venison leberknödel, or German liver dumplings, served with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, homemade caraway sauerkraut with apples, green beans with bacon and garlic, and homemade (from a kit) Shiraz made for a knockout winter dinner. I was worried I wouldn’t like them, but these little liver dumplings were SO GOOD, y’all.
Liver can be very hit or miss for me depending on preparation, but no one else at deer camp likes it, so we get a lot of it, and hearts (which are easy to love), from the fella’s fam back home. I’ve tried liking pan-seared liver and onions, but even with mild and fresh calf liver, perfectly prepared by a French chef (in a culinary school class demo) I just can’t hang with it. But. Add pork fat, and make it into a pâté, or sausages like mazzafegati or braunschweiger, and I love it.
This German liver dumpling recipe is an even milder preparation than liver sausage, mellowed by a long pre-soak, the sweet onions, the bread crumbs, and accented with smoky bacon, so if you have a liver-hater in the house who is convinced offal has to be awful, give this one a try.
We had the leftover liver dumplings last night, transformed to a zesty buckwheat noodle soup by adding soy, ginger, and star anise to the poaching broth, plus shredded cabbage, some frozen chicken and cilantro wontons, and homemade Szechuan chili crisp. No pics but also A+, would hastily scarf again.
Venison Leberknödel Dumplings
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 16 oz venison liver
- 5 oz bacon chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup onion minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp marjoram dry (can sub ½ tsp oregano)
- ½ tsp allspice ground
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg ground
- 2 med eggs
- 1 ⅓ cup breadcrumbs dry
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder sifted
- 2 quarts stock or broth for poaching
Instructions
Pre-soak the Liver
- If frozen, thaw the liver in the fridge or in cool running water.
- Clean and cut the liver into 2 inch pieces, cutting away and discarding any tough membrane, blood-shot or discolored sections. Rinse well.
- Cover the liver with cold water (I use a 4 quart plastic Cambro or Tupperware container with a lid) and soak at least overnight, but ideally 24 hours in advance. Change the water a few times. You can add milk to the last soak, but this isn't necessary.
Making the Panade & Dumpling Base:
- In a medium saute pan, melt the butter and sweat the onions with a pinch of salt. When they have softened and are starting to color, add the garlic, herbs, and spices, and then the chopped bacon. Saute on low heat for another minute- just enough to soften the bacon (it will cook later when the dumplings are poached). Set mixture aside to cool.
- Drain and rinse the liver, and transfer to a food processor. Pulse a few times, then add the cooled onion, herb, and bacon mixture, and one of the eggs. Pulse and then puree until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl large enough to hold all ingredients (except baking powder), mix the other egg and breadcrumbs, then add the liver puree mixture from the food processor. Cover and let rest (in the fridge or a cold place) at least 30 minutes.
Poaching the Dumplings:
- Bring the stock (or salted water or broth) to a boil in a large pot.
- Sift the baking powder into the dumpling mixture, and fold in well to incorporate. Cook one small dumpling first in the poaching liquid to check seasoning and consistency- the mixture should hold together well. Adjust seasoning if necessary. If too moist, add more breadcrumbs, and if it is too dry, add more egg or a tablespoon or two of milk.
- Using a portion scoop, or two large spoons, form the mixture into meatballs or quenelles (small football shape formed by rolling the mixture in two spoons). Drop the dumplings into the boiling stock and simmer for about 10 minutes. They will float to the surface- if they are sticking to the bottom, stir the liquid before dropping the dumplings in.
- You can serve the dumplings floating in their broth, or to make in advance, remove them to a tray, cool, and reheat them in another soup to serve later.
