A Northern terrine of liver & black pudding.

The inspiration for this recipe comes from Robert Owen Brown, muscular chef, creative cookbook author, champion of Manchester and Lancashire. His recipe differs from the Editor’s in several respects but the credit for this irresistible combination is all his.

1½ Tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
a finely chopped onion
heaped ½ teaspoon dried thyme
about 1½ Tablespoons duck or goose fat
1 lb chicken or, better, duck livers, trimmed of sinew and cut to uniform depth
scant shot (about 1½ oz) good Scotch whisky
salt and pepper
scant ½ lb black pudding, quartered lengthwise

Set the oil in a heavy skillet over low heat and, once it shimmers, cook the onion with the thyme, gently enough to keep it from browning, until it softens and clears.
Remove the onion from the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. Melt the duck fat until it begins to smoke and fry the livers until pink within.
Toss the whisky into the pan, let it evaporate and turn off the heat.
Put the livers with the fat into a food processor or blender with the onions. Season the mix with salt and pepper then blast it to a paste.
Turn about a third of the paste into a terrine or other vessel of suitable dimensions, lay down two quarters of the pudding and bury them in the next third of paste. Drop the other two quarters of pudding onto the liver and bury them in turn with the rest of the paste.
Cover the terrine and allow it to set in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Notes:

-The only flaw in this otherwise exemplary terrine is its tendency to fall apart, a problem you may choose to solve by doubling the amount of duck or goose fat, as Mr. Brown does. The added fat will bind the constituents into a richer terrine.

-Mr. Brown takes the more traditional and vaguely French approach by using brandy instead of Scotch. We prefer the British twist and its smoky, peaty flavor.

-If, unlike the Editor, you never roast a duck or goose, D’Artagnan sells little tubs of duck fat.