Iam standing in my kitchen preparing kidneys for devilling. Snipping their white cores away piece by piece until they come free and I’m left with just the wibbly, burgundy kidney, ready for their spiced flour, I pause. There is no denying that even fresh raw kidneys can smell a little… challenging. And for one moment I consider skipping the whole thing and just having an unchallenging slice of toast instead. I’m so glad I didn’t.
Because once cooked, kidneys are not challenging at all: they’re luscious and tender, with an earthy, gamey flavour which is almost compulsive. That robustness is actually their strength: kidneys can take bold flavours – feisty seasonings and rich sauces – which is why they are so suited to devilling.
Devilling is a culinary treatment that dates back to the 18th century, but became particularly popular during the Victorian and Edwardian period. Mrs Beeton gives a recipe for devilled sauce in her Book of Household Management and, according to Theodora Fitzgibbon, an Irish cookery writer, James Boswell regularly dined on ‘devilled bones’.
Used particularly for eggs, smoked fish, crab and offal, devilling meant highly seasoning a dish, usually involving mustard or curry powder, giving it the spice or heat that led to the devilish associations. A predecessor of Worcestershire sauce called Harvey’s sauce often featured, and ketchup too. The devilling sauce we make now doesn’t stray far from the original: cayenne is used more often than curry powder, but the Worcestershire sauce is still a must-have, and most sauces use mustard or mustard powder. Many (including mine) are thickened by cream. Here the sauce gets its savoury whoomph from deglazing the pan that the kidneys cooked in and it is devilishly delicious. A devilled cream sauce reminds me of peppercorn sauce, actually – rich and boozy and heavily spiced.
The raw kidneys are tossed in a spiced flour, then cooked hot and fast in plenty of butter to caramelise and protect their exterior, while keeping them just-pink inside. Madeira, marsala or sherry (or just a dark vinegar if you wish to avoid alcohol) deglazes the pan, followed by a savoury splash of Worcestershire sauce. Setting the kidneys to one side, cream is added and the sauce is bubbled briefly until it comes together all glossy and spoon-coating. The kidneys are reintroduced to the sauce before being tumbled on to a slice of really good toasted bread, with sauce spooned generously over the top.
Kidneys can take bold seasonings and rich sauces – which is why they are so suited to devilling
Devilled kidneys are truly one of the finest breakfasts possible – but they’re also a bold breakfast, requiring you to grapple with offal so early in the day, not to mention the sloshes of booze and double cream, and enough spice to satisfy the devilling desire. Perhaps the Edwardians, with their chafing dishes of kedgeree and kippers, had stronger stomachs for breakfast than we do today. But steel yourself and you’ll be richly rewarded. The king of offal, Fergus Henderson of St John restaurant, has his devilled kidneys with a glass of black velvet – a cocktail of stout and champagne – which sounds like a strong start to the day.
A note: if you’ve never prepared kidneys before, then the membrane and core instructions might sound weird, but it makes a lot more sense when you’re actually handling the kidneys. The kidneys have a natural thin membrane on them, but your butcher or supermarket will almost certainly have removed it for you, or will do if you ask – but you’ll need to handle the core yourself. In the middle of the kidney is a little spot of white tissue. If you cut into it, you’ll find that it is attached to the kidney at various points: snip each of these points with sharp scissors and it will come out easily (as well as being unappetising, the core will cause the kidney to curl in on itself as you cook it, which you don’t want).
Makes: Breakfast for two
Takes: 15 minutes
Bakes: No time at all
- 4 lamb kidneys, membrane removed
- ½ tbsp plain flour
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ½ tsp cayenne powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 30g salted butter
- 30ml sherry, marsala or madeira
- ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 30ml double cream
To serve
- Bread, toasted
- Parsley, chopped
- Slice each kidney in half and then snip out the white core in the centre of the kidneys using sharp scissors.
- Stir the flour, mustard powder, cayenne and fine salt together in a bowl, then toss the prepared kidneys through the spiced flour.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the butter is foaming, add the floured kidneys. Cook the kidneys for two minutes on each side.
- Add the sherry, madeira or marsala to the pan to deglaze, then add the Worcestershire sauce. Set the kidneys to one side, and add the cream. Bubble briefly until the sauce is spoon-coating and glossy.
- Return the kidneys to the pan, stir through the sauce and serve on hot toast; garnish with chopped, fresh parsley.
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