Chopped Liver Recipe

Chopped liver is either a love it or hate it dish. My family happens to love it. For years I purchased it from the kosher butcher, but around COVID the store-bought version started tasting kind of… meh. I found myself doctoring it up, and then I thought, why am I not just making this myself?

Now, gefilte fish is a hard pass for me. No one really likes it, so store-bought is fine. But chopped liver? It gets demolished. So IMHO, it's worth the potchke (Yiddish for fussing and making a mess).

This recipe is originally from Tori Avey (I unfortunately don't have my grandmother's recipe) and I've tweaked it over the years. Here's how I make it:

Chopped Liver Recipe

What you'll need:

• 1½ pounds chicken livers (buy the already broiled version)

• ¼ cup schmaltz, divided (purchase at the butcher, or Empire makes it in the refrigerated section)

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced (for a sweeter chopped liver, use up to 4 onions)

• 5 hard boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Divide the livers in half. Sauté the first batch in 2 tablespoons of schmaltz for only about 1 minute, you do not want them to dry out. Transfer them to a separate bowl along with the oil from the pan, then repeat with the second batch. The livers should be slightly pink on the inside, brown and firm on the outside. Do not overcook.

Add the thinly sliced onions to a covered pan (no need to re-oil). On medium heat, leave the onions undisturbed for 10 minutes. You don't want them to burn, so peek a couple of times, but this is the key to the sweet caramelization process. After 10 minutes, uncover and continue to sauté for 30–40 minutes. Be patient! When the onions are reduced by about a third and golden, they're ready.

While the onions are cooking, hard boil your eggs.

Once the onions are done, add them to the bowl with the livers along with the roughly chopped eggs. I do not chop by hand, although some say that is the way to do it. If you have the time and energy, go for it. I put everything (plus salt and pepper) into a food processor or blender and pulse for about 30 seconds until it's all combined.

Taste and season as needed. Don't be afraid to be generous with the salt and pepper! The flavor dies down once it sits and chills.