Chopped Liver

also called chopped chicken liver · gehakte leber · jewish chopped liver · liver spread

The table

1 lb(450 g; trimmed of every green spot and sinew)chicken liversbroil the livers 6 min a sidechop coarse with schmaltzchill 2 hr
1 tspkosher salt
2 large(sliced thin)yellow onionsfry the onions 25 min in schmaltz
3 Tbsschmaltz
4 largeeggsboil the eggs 11 min, ice them
2 qtwater
2 Tbsschmaltz
1 tspkosher salt
1/2 tspblack pepper
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.9 things to get out.

1broil the livers 6 min a side

2fry the onions 25 min in schmaltz

3boil the eggs 11 min, ice them

4chop coarse with schmaltz

goes in with what steps 1, 2 and 3 made

Cooking it

Start to finish is the longest chain through the table, so branches that overlap are counted once. That is why the waits add up to more than the clock — and it only holds if you get them going together.

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 2 hr 25 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
37 minof the steps that give a time

One of the 5 steps never says how long it takes, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 3 hr.

  1. boil the eggs 11 min, ice them

    11 minwalk awayfrom the start

  2. fry the onions 25 min in schmaltz

    25 minneeds youfrom the start

  3. broil the livers 6 min a side

    12 minneeds youfrom the start

  4. chop coarse with schmaltz

    not timed25 min in

  5. chill 2 hr

    2 hrwalk away25 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. Bars that line up are happening at the same time.

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Chopped Liver
>> category: Dressings & Dips
>> tags: chicken liver, onion, schmaltz, spread, deli
>> counters: Deli
>> aka: chopped chicken liver, gehakte leber, jewish chopped liver, liver spread
>> pairs-with: schmaltz, deli-rye-bread, sour-dill-pickles
>> servings: 8
>> time: 3 hr
>> step.1: boil the eggs 11 min, ice them
>> step.2: fry the onions 25 min in schmaltz
>> step.3: broil the livers 6 min a side
>> step.4: chop coarse with schmaltz
>> step.5: chill 2 hr

Boil @eggs{4%large} in @water{2%qt} for ~boil{11%min}, then cool them under cold water and peel them. Two go into the bowl and two are held back to grate over the top, which is how the case sends it out.

Fry @yellow onions{2%large}(sliced thin) in @schmaltz{3%Tbs} over medium-low heat and ~fry{25%min}, until they are brown and sweet all the way through, not merely soft. This is where the flavour of the dish actually lives; onions taken off pale make chopped liver taste of nothing but liver.

Broil @chicken livers{1%lb}(450 g; trimmed of every green spot and sinew) seasoned with @kosher salt{1%tsp} on a rack close to the element, ~broil{12%min}, turning once, until they are firm and no longer red in the middle. Broiling rather than frying is the traditional method and it is not fussiness — it is how the blood is drawn out, and it gives a drier liver that chops instead of smearing.

Chop @&(~1)broiled livers{} together with @&(~2)fried onions{} and @&(~3)two peeled eggs{} in a wooden bowl with a hand chopper, working in @schmaltz{2%Tbs}, @kosher salt{1%tsp} and @black pepper{1/2%tsp} until it holds together but you can still see what it is made of. A food processor turns the whole thing into pâté in four seconds — that is a real thing and it is on this site as pork liver pâté, but it is not this.

Chill @&(~1)chopped liver{} ~chill{2%hr}, then grate the two held-back eggs over the top and serve it with rye and raw onion. It keeps two days, and the flavour is best on the first.