That Great Chicken House in the Sky

This post can also be found on bonappetit.com (where they actually pay me to write for them!)

The menacing-looking Elvis has nonetheless been trained not to kill my chickens

I have trained my dogs not to eat my chickens. So far, they're following orders. Elvis, a boxer-pit bull mix, stands in the barnyard and drools as he watches the birds peck around in the grass, but he hasn't tried to kill any of them as of yet.

But lots of visitors come to the farm in the mild seasons, and they're encouraged to bring their dogs. The visiting pooches have not necessarily had the blood thirst trained out of them. Last weekend one of them killed one of my chickens.

The unknowing chickens

I brought the dead bird inside and put on a pot of water to boil. I also cued up Johnny Cash's "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" on the stereo. The song is about a dog that eats eggs and kills chickens. It's full of clever rhymes. (If, somehow, you've never heard this song, do yourself a favor and buy it. It's a great piece of Americana.)

I plunged the bird into the boiling water to loosen the feathers and plucked them. I cleaned the chicken and removed the organs, including the liver.

Here's where I could give you a recipe for roasted month-old chicken, but last week's recipe was for roast chicken, and really, how many of you are likely to have a dead month-old chicken in your fridge? So instead, let's talk about chicken livers.

I keep a resealable plastic bag of chicken livers in my freezer. Every time I cook up a bird, I add the livers to the bag. When I have about half a pound I saute them with some shallots, butter, and whatever else looks good (this time of year, that means radishes). Then I serve them as a side dish for a larger meal or on toast for lunch. They are easy to cook, cheaper than cheap, and everyone always goes gaga for them. For all those reasons, sauteed chicken livers are one of my favorite ace-up-the-sleeve kitchen tricks.

As for the chicken-killing dog? He gets a pass--this time. He can come back to the farm this summer to play and frolic with my dogs, but he'd better not kill any more of my chickens, because...

...if he don't stop eatin' my eggs up [or my chickens, for that matter]
Though I'm not a real bad guy
I'm goin' to get my rifle and send him
To that great chicken house in the sky.

--Johnny Cash

Sauteed Chicken Liver Open-Face Sandwiches Photos by Ian Knauer

Sauteed Chicken Liver Open-Face Sandwiches
Serves 4 as a light lunch

1/2 baguette
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter plus more for toast
1 medium shallot, sliced
1/2 lb. chicken livers, rinsed, patted dry
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Parsley leaves
Radish slices

Cut baguette into 4 open-face slices, then toast.

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add shallot and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add chicken livers and 1/2 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper, then saute until livers are browned but still pink in the center, 4-6 minutes. Stir in vinegar, honey, mustard, and 2 Tbsp. water and simmer until liquid is reduced to a sauce, about 2 minutes.

Spread additional butter over toasts, then top with livers, sauce, parsley leaves, and radish slices.