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Francesco Mazzei, chef patron at Radici, London N1: "My inspiration for this dish came from stigghiola, a street-food dish from Palermo. It’s made with various kinds of offal, but at Radici we use calf’s liver as it has a delicate flavour that matches the pancetta, rosemary and garlic perfectly. Wrapping the involtino in pancetta gives it a lovely rich, salty flavour. On the streets of Palermo, it is always cooked on a BBQ, giving it a smoky flavour.”

Ingredients

  • 1kg potatoes
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 slices (around 150g each) calf's liver
  • 16 slices pancetta
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Stuffing

  • 120g sliced pancetta, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp of chopped leaves rosemary, plus 4 large sprigs
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Method

  • STEP 1

    Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the potatoes onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour, until really soft.

  • STEP 2

    Once cool enough to handle, cut in half, scoop out the flesh and mash. Mix with 4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and season.

  • STEP 3

    For the stuffing, add the finely chopped pancetta, chopped rosemary and garlic to a frying pan and cook over a medium heat until lightly crisp. Cool completely.

  • STEP 4

    Lay each slice of calf’s liver with a heaped tbsp of the cooked pancetta filling and one sprig of rosemary, then roll to create a sausage shape.

  • STEP 5

    Lay out 4 rashers of pancetta, so that they overlap, and then roll the liver tightly in this.

  • STEP 6

    Add the chicken stock to a small saucepan and reduce by 2/3. Add the balsamic vinegar and keep warm.

  • STEP 7

    Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat with a little oil and fry the involtini on all sides until golden and crisp.

  • STEP 8

    Put in the oven for 7-8 minutes until cooked through.

  • STEP 9

    Heat the olive oil mash and put in the middle of a large plate. Sit the involtino on top of the mash and drizzle with the balsamic stock.

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