German Schnitzel and Potato Salad

German Schnitzel and Potato Salad

This German Schnitzel and Potato Salad is made with pork, not veal. “Wienerschnitzel” is a geographically protected term in Germany and Austria and is always made with veal, though it does not come from Wien (Vienna).  German Schnitzel or Schweineschnitzel is made with pork in the same way. The technique of breading and frying thin cuts of meat is attributed to the Romans from around 1 BC.

Serves 4
Preparation 15 minutes
Cooking 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 boneless pork schnitzels, steaks, chops or neck steaks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60 g (1 cup) panko crumbs
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped (optional)
zest of 1 small lemon (optional) plus the cheeks of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons plain flour
80 ml (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil for shallow frying
Green salad or cooked red cabbage, to serve

Potato Salad
800g even-sized waxy potatoes e.g. kipfler, desiree
300g bacon, cut into 1cm strips
1/3 cup (80mls) white or apple cider vinegar
1 – 1 1/2  tablespoons sugar, to taste
1 tablespoon German mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. For the Potato Salad: scrub potatoes and cut any large potatoes in half so they are equal size. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, covered, over high heat, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pan on the turned-off hot plate and allow to steam dry for a couple minutes. Cut potatoes into 1cm slices.
2. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over medium heat and add bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and its fat has been rendered. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon to a warm plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Carefully add vinegar, sugar (to taste depending on how strong the vinegar is), mustard, salt, and pepper. Return to the heat and allow to simmer, stirring for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic for only a minute, then remove from the heat and gently mix in potatoes until all the liquid is absorbed. Gently stir in bacon pieces and parsley. Serve warm or cold
3. For the Schnitzels: If you do not have thin schnitzels, lay pork between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them using the flat side of a meat mallet or rolling pin until no more than 1cm thick. This is because you need to fry it at high heat for a short period of time to get a perfect crisp crust without leaving the middle of the meat raw. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
4. Combine the garlic and egg in a medium bowl. Mix the panko crumbs with lemon zest and parsley, if desired, on a flat plate and the flour on another flat plates. Dip schnitzels into the flour, shake off the excess. Dip in the egg, and then in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat.
5. Heat half the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Fry the schnitzels in two batches for 1–2 minutes on each side, until just cooked and golden. Drain on paper towel. In between each batch wipe down the pan to remove any burning crumbs and heat the remaining oil. Serve immediately with lemon cheeks, potato salad and green salad or cooked red cabbage.

Lyndey’s Note: Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are made from crustless bread, making them light and flaky. They also absorb less oil and can be found in the Asian section of all good supermarkets.