Liver and Brussels Sprouts

No, that's not the title of a child's nightmare, but in reality, two of my favorite foods and what I had, along with a few other things, at a restaurant last week in New York.
I'm not much of a meat eater, but I've somehow placed liver in a different category. I'm chronically anemic, so perhaps it's a subconscious craving for iron that attracts me to liver. Sporadically over the years, I would order a chopped chicken liver sandwich at a deli and always loved it. I'd say this happened once or twice a year.
But last year in New York, when faced with medallions of calf liver on the menu at Al Di La in Brooklyn, I decided to take the plunge. I was not disappointed. The liver was sliced thinly and it was medium rare. The onions served with it were cooked until wilted. The liver was accompanied by a triangle of baked polenta. This past trip, the four of us decided to pool some appetizers. As usual, we ordered Nancy's favorite, chard stuffed with cheeses. As always, it was delicious. I asked that if we could order the roasted Brussels sprouts as an appetizer. Amazingly, everyone at the table loved Brussels sprouts, so we ordered them. They were sliced in half and roasted with oil, butter and cloves of garlic. Simple and delicious.
I repeated this at home last week, but I didn't have whole cloves of garlic so I substituted shallots. They were good, but not as good. I think what I might like to try is some garlic-infused olive oil. I think that will make a really good dish even better.
The liver was on the menu again this year. It was very good, although the medallions were not as tender as they were the year before. Amazing what flavors and textures we can remember, even after months or even years pass.

I feel lucky that I love liver and Brussels Sprouts. I can kind of understand why children don't like them. They are strong, aggressive flavors, and children have more acute taste buds than adults. mmm. Just thinking about that dinner makes me hunger for more.