Jägerschnitzel and Hasselback Potatoes

Folks-

I've been meaning to add this to my blog for a while. It's really one recipe and a couple of instructions.

So, what is Jägerschnitzel? Imagine country-fried pork chops smothered in mushroom gravy and you're pretty darn close. It's a German or Austrian dish that just happens to be freaking delicious. I don't remember where I first heard about it, but I found my base recipe at Quick German Recipes, and then modified it. The full recipe here is just for the Jäger Sosse or mushroom gravy, and the added instructions are for the schnitzel and Hasselback Potatoes.

You may notice there's no sausage in this recipe. If you're from the U.S., like me, that might be a surprise, but yeah, schnitzel is basically any kind of fellet breaded and fried. Der Wiener schnitzel is a hot dog chain in the U.S., and an actual Wiener schnitzel is a veal fillet that's been breaded and fried.

Yeah.

So, what are Hasselback Potatoes? They're fancy baked potatoes. Here's the method:

Take your clean potatoes and slice a flat spot on the bottom of each. One at a time place the potatoes between two chopsticks and using a sharp knife start at one end and make thin slices in each potato, about 2-4mm wide, across the potato. The chopsticks should prevent you from cutting all the way through. Fan your accordioned potato out and wash off the starch. Once all of the potatoes are cut up this way, cover them in olive oil or butter, getting it in between the slices. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. In the last 10 minutes of baking or so you can place cheese between the slices, or cover them in bread crumbs, or top with Parmesan cheese. Yum!

So start that first.

So, I recommend getting all of the ingredients for everything set up before continuing.

For the schnitzel, you'll need at least four cutlets, these can be boneless pork chops, boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs, veal, beef, whatever strikes your fancy. If it's more than a quarter inch thick, pound it evenly until it's at or under that point. Dredge in flour, dip in scrambled egg, then press into bread crumbs and start frying them. Keep the finished ones warm on a rack in the oven at it's lowest setting until ready to serve.

At the same time, start making the Jäger Sosse.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

3 strips bacon, diced

1 onion, diced

1 lb sliced mushrooms 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 

2 cups beef broth or stock

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 

2 tablespoons corn starch in 2 tablespoons water (if needed to thicken)

1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt 

In a skillet over medium high heat, cook the onions and bacon in the butter until the onions are translucent and the bacon fat has rendered. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Use the vinegar to deglaze (optional). Stir in the tomato paste, broth, and seasonings, bring to a boil, reduce temperature and allow to simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. If gravy is too thin at this point, add enough of the cornstarch mix to thicken to desired consistency. Stir in parsley and sour cream. Serve hot over schnitzel.

Note: I added some fresh thyme and chopped fresh basil with the parsley tonight, and it was quite good.