Fried Chicken Liver, Bacon & Tomato With Ranch Dressing

Manami's Note:

Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo from Caramelized Productions Food & Wine Magazine, July 2009 publication. From: Best New Chefs and Their Easiest Recipes. Jon and Vinny soak the livers in buttermilk and coat them in flour, then repeat the process for extra-crispy results. "I'm into livers of all kind now", says Dotolo especially duck and lamb." I tried this with great trepadation and it was really very good, believe it or not! This is a staff favorite at F&W test kitchens and here as well! I just have never had livers as a salad before - so I just dug in and was wonderful! ;) Their wine suggestions:earthy chicken livers, smoky bacon and creamy ranch dressing make this one salad that can easily stand up to a red wine. Beaujolais, made from the Gamay grape, is light-bodied but full of flavor, and an ideal choice. Look for the lively 2007 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais-Villages or the berry-rich 2006 Chateau de La Chaize. The have a show on the FoodNetwork which escapes me now. BTW - their web site is eatdrinkordie.com/jon_and_vinny

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

PICKLED RED ONION

• 1 small red onion , halved and thinly sliced
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar

RANCH DRESSING

• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 ½ tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 ¼ teaspoons fresh lemon juice (plz not the bottled kind)
• ¾ teaspoon hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small garlic clove , minced
• ½ teaspoon chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon snipped chives
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper

SALAD

• 6 slices of thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon (6 ounces)
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 lb chicken liver , trimmed, rinsed, and patted dry
• 2 ½ cups buttermilk
• vegetable oil , for frying
• ¾ lb heirloom cherry tomatoes , halved
• ½ cup whole flat leaf parsley
• 4 tender celery ribs , thinly sliced on the bias, leaves reserved

Directions:

1. MAKE THE PICKLED ONION:.
2. Put the sliced red onion in a medium bowl.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the red wine vinegar with the sugar over moderately high heat until just beginning to simmer and the sugar is dissolved.
4. Pour the hot vinegar over the sliced red onion and let stand for 30 minutes.
5. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons of the onion pickling liquid.
6. MAKE THE SALAD DRESSING:.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk all of the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate.
8. ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:.
9. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; drain on paper towels & cut each piece of bacon in half.
10. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
11. In a medium bowl, soak the chicken livers in 1 cup of the buttermilk for 10 minutes, then drain.
12. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk to the bowl.
13. Dredge the chicken livers in the seasoned flour until coated, then redip the chicken livers in the buttermilk and dredge again in the flour to double-coat.
14. In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 325°F.
15. Fry the livers until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
16. Drain the chicken livers on paper towels and immediately season with salt.
17. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, parsley and celery ribs and leaves.
18. Add the pickled onion and the reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons of pickling liquid.
19. Spoon the ranch dressing onto plates.
20. Top with the tomato salad, chicken livers and bacon and serve at once.