Directions
- Cutlet Preparation: Remove any sinew, silver skin, or gristle.
- If using plastic bag, put the cutlet inside the bag. Place on cutting board. If using plastic wrap, place cutlet between folded over piece. The idea is to keep the cutlet inside the plastic to reduce splatter and mess.
- Using the meat mallet (smooth end), pound the cutlet in the middle while also pushing slightly outwards. This should cause the meat to stretch as you are pounding and make for a better pounded cutlet. Avoid breaking through the meat. Pound in a center to outside (circling) motion until the cutlet is uniformly about 1/4 inch thick. Set cutlet aside and repeat this for all the cutlets.
- If you are not breading your cutlets (traditional Bavarian recipe is unbreaded), skip to step 5. If you are breading your cutlets, follow our breading instructions in our Wienerschnitzel recipe.
- Cooking the cutlets: Heat the sauté pan to medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of oil and then a pat of butter. The oil will provide for higher temperature cooking, while the butter will add flavor. Avoid burning the butter.
- Salt/Pepper cutlets to taste and place a few cutlets into the medium-hot oiled pan and allow to cook until a nice brown on one side. Turn each cutlet over, salt & pepper to taste and cook on the other side until both sides are a nice brown and the cutlets are fully cooked. Set aside on a plate (avoid a paper towel). Let the cooking juices collect in the plate. Add more vegetable oil and butter as needed and follow same procedure to cook any remaining cutlets. Do not clean the pan, you will use it as-is again.
- Preparing the mushrooms: While the cutlets are cooking, prepare your mushrooms by washing them: place in a mixing bowl and fill with cool water. Let the water wash over the mushrooms, then drain them. Slice them and set aside. Also chop the parsley. If you are using carrots, clean and thin slice them now.
- Cooking the mushrooms: In the sauté pan (same used to cook the cutlets), pour in a splash of beer, stir...this will loosen any cooked items...and allow beer to cook off (called deglazing a pan). Anything left in the pan, keep in the pan...yummy.
- Add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil and a pat of butter, allow to heat. Add mushrooms and sauté them until partially cook. Add 1/4 cup of beer and continue to sauté until they are cooked. Set aside in a bowl with the juice from the cooking. Keep the same sauté pan, do not clean. This is about keeping all the flavors together. If adding carrots, follow same procedure to cook as with the mushrooms.
- Making the gravy: In the sauté pan (same used to cook the cutlets and the mushrooms), deglaze again with a splash of beer.
- Add 1/2 stick of butter (no oil) and allow to melt. While stirring (whisking), slowly add flour. Continue to cook while stirring until it starts to form a paste (called a roux (French) or einbrennen (German). Do not let it burn or turn brown. Add more butter or flour as needed to get the right consistency.
- Add milk to the einbrennen and continue to stir. You are now making a white gravy. The mixture will continue to thicken. Do not let it over thicken.
- To white gravy, add the cooked mushrooms including their cooking juice and stir to incorporate. If it is too thin, do not worry, it will continue to thicken. Just keep stirring. If adding carrots, add them now, same as with the mushrooms. You can also add a little beer for flavor, just give the gravy time to thicken afterwards.
- Finishing the dish: To the now mushroom gravy, add the cooked cutlets including their cooking juice and stir to incorporate. Allow the items to combine and the gravy to reach desired thickness. If the gravy thins out too much from the added juices, just give it some time to thicken again...it will. If it really is not thickening, make and add a small bit more of einbrennen.
- Serve the Jägerschnitzel, pouring some of the mushroom gravy and cooked mushrooms (and carrots) on top. Garnish with parsley (or paprika).
From the Dahoam1516 recipe collection · Hans Diehl
