Schnitzel!

I don't know what it is about my brain sometimes, that it just comes up with things seemingly out of nowhere. Not long after I made my last post, which resigned itself with a somewhat melancholy note relating to my sudden reduction in creative kitchen freedom, out of nowhere my mind thought of the thin-sliced pork chops in the fridge, and then came the words: weiner schnitzel.

Weiner schnitzel is of course, a lovely breaded, tenderized meat dish which hails originally from Vienna. It's history is fascinating, starting out, it is speculated, in Italy, where it spread to Austria, then Germany, and eventually, across a pretty healthy portion of the world, evolving in many cases as it went, into such forms as the chicken fried steak in the US, or the tonkatsu of Japan.

Traditionally, it is made from veal, but in my case of course, the thin pork chops which I had acquired as part of my supply gathering seemed ripe for this treatment. It also had the advantage that, when paired with a side of mashed potatoes, I could get away without using my dwindling vegetable supply and still get a pretty full meal out of the deal.

It's also dead simple to make really, just take the thin-cut chops, put a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap on top, pound them out, then dust in flour, dip in egg, then in breadcrumbs, and fry up in about a quarter inch of hot melted shortening with a little bit of olive oil for extra flavor, over medium heat.

For the mashed potatoes, I added some milk, butter, sour cream, minced garlic, salt and pepper, for a nice flavor and a good creamy texture. I keep the skin on my mashed potatoes, as I love the taste of potato skins, which also works out in that I hate peeling potatoes.

To top off the whole meal, I made a quick white gravy with a roux of the excess flour and some freshly rendered bacon fat, to which I added a healthy amount of milk, some salt, and a liberal amount of black pepper.

The texture of the schnitzel was absolutely incredible. Tender, flavorful, still moist, yet just slightly crispy on the outside. The mashed potatoes were creamy and delicious. The only weak point of the meal was that the gravy was a bit lumpy, not a mistake I usually make, but I was feeling something of a rush to get the gravy done before the schnitzel and potatoes got cold.

And for dessert, a simple slice of last night's pound cake.

Pure magic.