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Pork Schnitzel with Spaetzle

Crispy pork schnitzel with spaetzle is the impressive dish I break out for company. It's easy to do some of the work in advance and it's always delicious!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • Pork Schnitzel
  • 4 pork ribeye steaks about 1 inch thick, butterflied (see above notes)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cups panko bread crumbs
  • Canola oil for frying
  • Lemon slices for serving
  • Buttermilk Spaetzle
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  • Lemon Caper and Dill Sauce
  • 1 small shallot minced
  • 4 oz 1 stick unsalted butter, diced and divided
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon chopped capers
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • To make the pork:  Pat the pork steaks very dry with paper towels. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, eggs, water, Dijon, and salt until very smooth. The batter should be the texture of pancake batter. Pour the panko crumbs into a shallow pan. Season the pork steaks with salt and pepper. Dip the pork into the batter, shaking off any excess, and then coat it well in the panko crumbs. Repeat with the other three steaks.
  • Heat one inch of canola oil in a wide-bottomed, high-sided pot (reduces splatter, a dutch oven works well) to 360 degrees F. Fry the steaks, one or two at a time, for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden brown. Transfer the fried steaks to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and into a 200-degree F oven to keep them crispy (they'll stay crispy for well over an hour).
  • To make the spaetzle: mix the flour, eggs, buttermilk, dijon, salt, and pepper together until a thick batter forms. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large ziplock bag. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cut a small hole at the end of the piping bag and pipe small pieces into the water (about an inch and a half long). Cook for 1 minute and then transfer the spaetzle to a baking sheet coated with a little olive oil. Repeat until all the batter has been used up.
  • To serve the spaetzle: Melt butter in a skillet and just when the butter is turning golden brown, add the spaetzle to the pan. Cook for 1 minute per side, until slightly golden brown. Add the chopped parsley to the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • For the sauce: In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chopped shallot and cook until soft. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated. Reduce the heat to very low and whisk in the remaining butter, a few cubes at a time, until smooth and melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream, lemon zest, dill, and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over the pork.

Notes

I know this seems like a lot of work, but the pork can be butterflied in advance and the spaetzle can be cooked in advance, just make sure to toss it with oil so that they don't stick together. Once you're ready to prepare the spaetzle, melt the butter, like the recipe says, and rewarm the spaetzle in the pan.
You can actually butterfly and bread the pork ahead of time if you freeze it on a sheet tray. It can be cooked directly from frozen, just adjust the oil temperature to 400 to compensate for the frozen pork cooling it down and maybe add an extra minute per side in cooking.
You can substitute thinly pounded out pork chops or pork loin cutlets in this recipe, or even thinly pounded chicken breast.
You can substitute regular milk for the buttermilk.
You can cut this recipe in half, for just two people instead of four.