British · Authentic-ish British

Devilled Kidneys

Devilled Kidneys, plated as one serving.

304 kcal a serving, against 468 for the traditional version. That is 164 kcal off, or 35%, with 29.1g of protein. Serves 2. 25 minutes.

What the traditional version is

The classic: lamb kidneys trimmed and quartered, tossed in seasoned flour then fried quickly in butter. Add English mustard, a hit of Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Deglaze with a splash of cream, bubble into a thick, glossy sauce, then heap it all onto fried or toasted white bread. If you want to feel alive, add extra chilli and chase it with black coffee.

What changed, and what each change costs

Butter out, use a dry non-stick pan

Most of the richness is from butter. Take that out and you're dropping a big chunk of the energy. Searing the kidneys fast in a hot non-stick pan gives you browning without the extra fat.

What it costs you. You lose the deeply savoury, nutty edge butter brings and the gloss on the sauce. The kidneys taste cleaner and more direct, but you'll miss the roundness if you're used to the original.

Double cream replaced with a cornflour slurry

The cream thickens and enriches the sauce, but it's not doing much for the taste beyond richness. A slurry of cornflour and water will hold the sauce together - not as glossy, but you won't get a puddle on the plate.

What it costs you. You lose the silk that coats your mouth; the sauce is thinner and feels a bit more functional. It's spicier, but don't expect luxury.

Fried bread out, toast only

Fried bread is a brick of nostalgia - and fat. Toasting keeps crunch, holds the sauce, and keeps your arteries from issuing complaints. Use a good bakery loaf if you want a bit of chew.

What it costs you. It's not the same. Anyone who says it is, is lying to themselves. But you end up with less grease everywhere, and the kidneys don't slide off at first prod.

Flour for dusting replaced with cornflour as a sauce thickener

Kidneys seared fast won't need a flour crust, and cornflour does a better job thickening at the end for fewer calories.

What it costs you. You lose that slightly toasted, crispy finish on the outside of each kidney, but you get a saucier dish that's more about the heat and tang.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

How it starts

  1. Trim the white core from each kidney, quarter them, and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
  2. Get a non-stick frying pan ripping hot.
  3. Sprinkle over the salt, black pepper, cayenne and then the mustard.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish British.

The numbers

Per servingTraditionalLightened
Calories468304
Protein30.4g29.1g
Fat25.9g8.5g
Saturated fat13.7g2.7g
Carbohydrate27.7g26.2g
Protein per 100 kcal6.5g9.6g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. fish, gluten, mustard.

The method is in the book

Devilled kidneys with cream and butter are a dish from a more decadent age, and you feel it. This version has all the heat and punch, but not the silken finish. It's a bit more breakfast, a bit less private members' club. It's not luxury, but it's still unmistakably British and still makes you grin at 8 AM. If you want decadence, save up and do it properly on your birthday. The rest of the time, this'll do the job. Just don't try talking anyone into believing it's the same dish.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback

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