Fried Lambs' Liver

A plain pan-fried liver in the Waldorf's short, assumed-knowledge style. Almost everything that decides whether it works is in the heat and the timing, neither of which Oscar bothers to give.

• Do not overcookLamb's liver slices cut about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick need roughly 1 to 2 minutes a side over fairly high heat, until just pink at the centre. Past that it turns grey, grainy and dry, and no garnish will rescue it.
• "A large lump of fat"Probably lard, beef drippings or clarified butter. The recipe says to plunge the slices in, so there is likely more fat than a film, though how deep is left unsaid. Whole butter alone risks browning and burning before the liver is done.
• Get the pan hot firstThe instruction to make the fat hot is the hinge. Egg-coated liver dropped into warm fat absorbs it and steams instead of searing; the fat should shimmer and sizzle sharply on contact.
• Soaking, if you likeLiver is sometimes soaked in milk or cold water before cooking to draw out blood and soften the mineral edge. Oscar only calls for a thorough wash, but a soak is worth trying with liver from an older animal.
• Flour then eggThe recipe seasons and flours the slices first, then dips them in beaten egg; the flour gives the egg something to cling to. Without it, egg tends to slide off in the pan.
• "Fillets"The word slips in mid-recipe but refers to the same slices of liver already cut and floured, not a separate cut.
• The folded napkinA standard restaurant service of the period, meant to absorb fat and keep the slices from sitting in it. A wire rack or paper does the job now; the napkin is presentation.
• YieldRoughly 1 lb of liver would serve three to four as a course, though the recipe gives no quantity. The lemon is called a garnish, but the acid does cut the richness.