Liver, Blueberry and Potato Dog Treats

Ingredients:

• 5 ounces Idaho® potato (such as Gold or Russet), cooked (baked, air fried, microwaved or boiled, then cooled)
• ½ pound beef liver, patted dry with a paper towel
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained (or use fresh blueberries)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 inch-square baking dish with foil, and spray the foil with non-stick spray. Set pan aside.  
2. Cook potato your preferred way, then cool. See “Notes field” below for suggestions on how to cook your potato. (Potato can be cooked the day before, so the cooking and cooling doesn’t slow down the recipe the day you decide to make it.) Set aside.
3. Slice liver into small pieces (this will help it blend better). Add liver, egg and blueberries to blender container. Cut cooled potato into chunks and add to blender container (skin-on is fine if the skin is thin). A full-size blender works best for this recipe; a small, smoothie-sized blender had trouble with the meat.  
4. Whirl 30-60 seconds or so, until it is a smooth paste. Add 1 Tablespoon or so of water if it needs more liquid to whirl more efficiently. (Resist adding a lot of water. If you do, it will just take that much longer to bake.) The paste will be a dusty purple color.
5. Pour into prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 50 minutes. 
6. Remove pan from oven and allow it to cool. (Consider allowing it to cool outside so you don’t smell up your kitchen.) When cool, use the foil as a handle to remove it from the pan onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and cut treats into squares or rectangles. Depending on size you cut, it might make 60 or as many as 100. You’ll know what size to cut it based on the size of your dog and your experience with prior treats.
7. Give a piece to your dog as a treat, and watch the excitement and joy! 
8. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator (about a week), or the freezer (for a couple of months). Consider storing just a bit in the refrigerator for that week’s use, and the rest in the freezer.  

Notes:

A word to the wise about the smell: There’s no delicate way to put this. Baking liver like this does not smell good. You may want to run a fan in the kitchen, pointed out an open window, as it bakes. Your dog will refuse to leave the kitchen because apparently the smell is intoxicating to a canine; trust us, it is not delightful to a human. What we won’t do for our pets, eh?

You may cook the potato any way you like, depending on your available appliance and preferred cooking method. The best way for this recipe will be a dry cooking, such as baking, air frying or microwaving, but suit yourself. Once cooked and cooled to room temperature, refrigerate the potato overnight if you are not using it the same day.

--To bake, pierce the potato skin several times with a sharp knife (so steam can escape), roast in a 400°F oven for 25-30 minutes; remove and cool.
--To air fry: pierce the potato skin several times with a sharp knife (so steam can escape), place the potato in the basket of an air fryer, and cook at 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove and cool.
--To microwave, for a 5 to 6 ounce potato, pierce the potato skin several times with a sharp knife (so steam can escape), microwave it on high power for 3 minutes, then remove and enclose in a tea towel and allow it to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes (this will ensure it finishes cooking evenly). Cool.
--To boil, fill a small saucepan with water, cut potato into halves or quarters (if using a Gold, or leave whole if using a Russet) and add to water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat so the water simmers, and boil potato about 5 minutes. Check doneness (it can be easily pierced with a sharp knife) and if it isn’t done, boil for another 3-5 minutes. Drain and cool.

Remember, liver treats are TREATS, and not to be considered a meal or used as a bowl of food for your pet. In small quantities, liver is good for your dog, but if you feed a large amount of it, you could put your pet at risk for vitamin A toxicity.