Blue Plate Special

« Maksalaatikko, a.k.a. liver and rice casserole. »

I was one of those weird kids who really liked liver and onions. Liver gets an undeserved bad rap and subsequently isn't very popular in American dishes or very commonly featured in cookbooks. Years ago, I did a stint in a research lab where we would obtain human liver samples, isolate the hepatocytes and infuse them with various substances and I lost my taste for it after one night when I was mistakenly given an enormous whole human liver instead of the usual 50g sample. The image of the hard, red, bulbous organ would pop into my mind every time I'd see or smell liver for the next few years, but I eventually got over it and it's a good thing, too, since liver casserole is one of the most popular and commonly consumed dishes around here. It's the macaroni and cheese of Finland.

Finland doesn't have diners, sadly, but if it did maksalaatikko would be first on the menu since it's packed with diner and comfort food qualities. I can imagine it as a featured blue plate special served with a side of slaw and fries at any diner north of the Mason-Dixon. It's easy to make in a single dish (such as the fabulous Arabia Kokki casserole), in fact so easy that there aren't any good excuses to buy the ready-made instead, especially since the ready-made stuff doesn't really taste like much of anything except rice. I add cronions to the top for a bit of truck stop flair as well as to avoid the pre-digested appearance of the store-bought variety and it works well if you like onions. A bit of blue or cheddar cheese might also make a nice addition. What's not to love about liver when it's baked with tasty stuff in a casserole?

Maksalaatikko / Liver Casserole

Makes: 4-6 servings
Time: about 50 minutes + bake time

• 400-500g or 14-18oz beef, chicken or pig liver
• 2 large onions, diced
• 50g or 4 tablespoons butter
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups milk or beef stock
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water if dry (optional)
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon ginger culinary syrup (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or dried marjoram
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup cronions for the top (optional)
• lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce to serve with it

rice:

• 2 dl or .85 cup porridge rice
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups water
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups milk

In a saucepan or the casserole dish, bring milk, water and rice to a boil. Stir in raisins, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

In a skillet, or in the casserole dish you intend to bake with, melt butter and sautee onions until soft. Put onions into a small bowl and set aside. Slice liver into small pieces and sautee until brown and cooked through. Place on cutting board and use either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to crumble the liver into very small bits. You could also briefly use a hand blender.

When rice is done, mix together all ingredients in casserole dish and bake for about 50-60 minutes at 200C/390F.