Devilled Kidneys on Toast

Devilled kidneys on toast is a classic old-school British recipe featuring tender lambs kidney in a mustard & Worcestershire sauce glaze.

This delicious recipe is not just quick, weighing in at a rapid 15-20 minutes, it is also wonderfully frugal too!

Spiced Lambs Kidneys

An awful lot of people turn their noses up at the thought of offal, but not me, I love the stuff and it is no stranger to my site.

It is delicious, pretty easy to cook and quite often a really cheap and nutritious meal.

Recipes like my pan-fried lambs liver with port onions, easy chicken liver stew, peri peri chicken livers, liver curry and haggis stuffed Balmoral chicken are easily some of my favourites!

Devilled kidneys on toast are my latest offering from the world of “variety meats”.

They join my devilled mushrooms on toast, devilled sausages and some rather foxy devilled mackerel fillets.

Like both of those recipes, the sauce “devilling” for this recipe is heavily influenced by Mrs Beetons old recipe from the early 20th century. They are pretty far removed from devilled eggs!

We get a bit of Worcestershire sauce, some wonderfully strong English mustard and a bit of cayenne to dust the kidneys with before they are fried in butter. Not only does it give a wonderful texture to the meat but it also thickens the sauce.

Add a proper doorstep of toast that you have buttered generously and some snipped chives then breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper is served. Yes, I eat this dish for any meal of the day!

If you like to look beyond beans on toast and love food like this, have a gander at my smoked haddock rarebit on toast and my creamy garlic mushrooms on toast recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prepare lambs’ kidneys?

Most kidneys come almost completely prepared, however, there is a bit of fat in the centre that needs removing.

After you cut the kidneys in half there will be some white firm fat in the centre of the kidney, this can be cut out with some sharp scissors.

Sometimes a paring knife can help and that is it, you are ready to rock and roll.

Do I have to add the cayenne pepper?

No, you could omit this without any problems, there is only a little of it and it provides a little background heat.

Do I have to use English mustard?

No, you could swap it out for any mustard you like, English mustard is generally speaking the strongest flavoured mustard. As a result, anything you swap it out with will likely tone down the flavour.

Is lamb stock or beef stock better?

Lamb stock gives the dish a really wonderful and unique flavour however it is a little more difficult to find depending on where you are from.

Can I make this in advance?

Not really, quick cooked kidneys really do not reheat very well because they become tough and rubbery.

However, this recipe cooks really quickly, you only need 10 minutes so it is not difficult to squeeze in.

Serving Suggestions

As far as I am concerned devilled kidneys need nothing more than a doorstep of toast, plenty of butter and some snipped chives.

But if you wanted to turn these into a more substantial meal then doing so is really easy.

They are delicious served with mash, whether that be mashed potato or celeriac mash, you could even serve them with some cheesy polenta.

Sticking with the theme of potatoes, serving these with a simple air fryer cooked baked potato, air fryer chips or even some crispy fried potatoes would be great too.

If you insist on some greens how about some simple roasted tenderstem broccoli?

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• Grill (broiler) or toaster.
• 30cm or 12″ frying pan or skillet.
• Mixing bowl.
• Weighing scales and or measuring jug, cups and spoons.
• Kitchen tongs.
• Serving and stirring spoons.
• Plate for dredging the kidneys.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Paring knife.
• Scissors.