Calf Kidney in Cream Sauce – Easy Kidney Recipe
This easy kidney recipe with calf’s kidney makes a delicious and nutrient dense meal. It is very satiating and perfectly suited for low carb diets. In addition, kidneys have a great offering of folate, iron, zinc, copper & selenium and are also a great source of protein for a post-workout meal.
Servings Prep Time
3people 20minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25minutes 2hours
Servings Prep Time
3people 20minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25minutes 2hours
Ingredients
Kidneys
Sauce
Instructions
Kidneys
  1. First, cut the kidneys in half and remove the gristly white centers (the fat) carefully
  2. It is best to use a paring knife for this. Remove as much of it as possible and keep it if you want to make tallow – more details in the recipe notes
  3. After that, cut the kidney meat into bite sized pieces and put them into a strainer. When finished, thoroughly rinse them with cold water for a few minutes
  4. Now, add the salt to a big bowl, add some water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Then, add the kidney pieces and so much cold water that they are completely covered
  5. Cover the bowl with cling film / plastic wrap, put it into the fridge and let the kidneys soak in water for at least 2 hours. After that, take the pieces out of the water, into a clean strainer and rinse them with fresh water again. Afterwards, let them drip off excess water for a minute
  6. Melt the butter in a pan on low heat, add the kidney pieces and cook them for about 7 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  7. Then, put them to the side (e.g. into a soup plate) in order to make the sauce in the pan
Sauce – Final Steps
  1. After cooking the kidney pieces, leave any remaining liquid in the pan and add the extra butter. Then, add the sliced onions and let them cook for about 5 minutes
  2. Next, add the cream & cream cheese to the pan and stir until it is dissolved. Cook for about 10 minutes on low heat, until the sauce starts to thicken. Now is the time to taste the sauce and add salt & pepper to your preferences
  3. Finally, add the kidney pieces back to the pan and let them simmer in the sauce for another 3 minutes on low heat. Don’t cook too long or on higher heat as the kidney tends to become chewy then
Recipe Notes

If you want to render the kidney fat cut it into small bits or mince it in a food processor.
Then, put it into a pot or big pan on low heat and wait for all the fat to get out while stirring occasionally.

You can see that it’s done when there is clear fat on the bottom with crispy bits on top.

Now, you can remove these floating bits by pouring all content through a cheesecloth or fabric into another pot.
When the fat is cooled, pour it into mason jars and keep them in the fridge.