Liver Börek | Hand-Rolled Spiral Pastry with Lamb Liver

Lift the shiny membrane from one end and pull it off in one piece; trim away the white connective tissue inside. Cut the liver into half-centimeter cubes, rinse under cold running water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. The more evenly sized the cubes, the more uniform the filling will be.

Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet and add the finely chopped onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened and the edges are golden. Cook the onion before the liver: if both go in together, moisture from the onion will prevent the liver from searing.

Raise the heat, add the liver cubes to the skillet, and leave them undisturbed for 0.5 minutes. Then stir frequently and cook until no liquid remains in the pan and the cubes separate from one another. Add the butter, black pepper, Turkish red pepper flakes, dried mint, and salt. Stir once, then remove from the heat.

Spread the filling in a wide tray and let it cool to room temperature. Lay one yufka sheet on the counter and spoon a little of the milk-and-oil mixture over it. Arrange one-quarter of the filling in a strip along the bottom edge and roll the pastry tightly. Coil the roll into a spiral on the baking sheet, then continue by joining the remaining sheets end to end.

Whisk the milk, egg, and melted butter. Brush the mixture over only the top of the börek; do not let it run between the coils, where it will glue the layers together and make the pastry one solid mass. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake on the middle rack of an oven preheated to 190°C / 375°F. The börek is ready when the top is deep golden brown and it slides as one piece when you gently shake the pan. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes so it sets before slicing.