Jaegerschnitzel - The Unbreaded Truth

A group of investors wanted to open an authentic German restaurant in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. They asked me to be their executive chef. Sure, sounds like fun! 

Our menu featured some of the typical German specialties: bratwurst, sauerkraut, red cabbage, rouladen, pork roast, dumplings, wiener schnitzel, and, of course - jaegerschnitzel...lightly pounded cutlets from a pork loin, sauteed to a golden brown, and served with a mushroom sauce.

One evening I was called to a table in the dining room. A guest was upset and wanted to have a word with the chef...

"Excuse me - you want to call yourself a German restaurant and you don't even know how to prepare a Jaegerschnitzel?" 

Um...what do you mean, Sir? (Me, still polite and curious.)

"This ain't no Jaegerschnitzel!"

Oh yes it is, Sssir. (You know...how cops say "Sir".)

"Listen...I've had them in a lotta places all over Texas, and if I know one thing it's that a Jaegerschnitzel is breaded!" 

Instead of running him through the meat tenderizer, I sat down and explained why he is wrong, and why I should know better because of my personal background and professional expertise.

He finally proved his complete comprehension by simply stating, "I want mine breaded." 

Upon further research---and to be somewhat fair to this guest---I found out that most German restaurants in Texas serve Wiener Schnitzels (breaded) with mushroom sauce and then call them "Jaegerschnitzels". Oh well...they sure taste good...so, why not?

• Take a 1/2 inch slice of pork loin and gently pound it to an approximate thickness of 1/4 inch.
• Season with salt and pepper. Perhaps a bit granulated garlic, if you like.
• Cover the bottom of a saute pan with oil and bring it up to a medium-high heat.
• Pan-fry the schnitzel until it is nicely brown on both sides.
• This is a fairly quick process and shouldn't take longer than 2 minutes, or so.
• The goal is to cook the cutlet to a medium-well and then transfer it to a warm plate. The carry-over heat will finish the cooking process.

Jaeger Sauce Recipe - The Easy Way

• Get yourself a good-quality brown sauce or mushroom sauce mix from the store.
• Prepare the desired amount of sauce, according to the directions on the package.
• Refining the packaged sauce:
• In a sauce pan with a small amount of oil, saute chopped onions and sliced mushrooms until lightly browned and cooked through. During the last minute of cooking, add a teaspoon of finely minced, fresh garlic.
• Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of red wine; reduce for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the previously prepared packaged sauce to the mushroom/onion mix.
• Combine well and bring to a brief simmer.
• Serve the jaegersauce over the breaded or unbreaded jaegerschnitzels.