Wiener Schnitzel

The classic Austrian dish, not the American fast food chain.

Free-raised Limousin veal leg pieces are uniformly pounded into to 1/4-inch-thick cutlets, seasoned and breaded in freshly-made bread crumbs before being gently fried in pure beef lard, drained and served hot with freshly-squeezed lemon, parsley and mustard potato salad.  Totally old school, totally delicious..

4 4-oz veal cutlets
sea salt and black pepper
fresh lemon
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 pastured eggs
4 thick slices fresh bread
1/4 cup fresh parsley
gluten-free multi-purpose flour for dredging
pure beef lard for frying

Trim veal of any remaining fat or sinew, then place between slices of wax paper and pound with a meat mallet until of uniform thickness between 3/8 and 1/2 inch.  Pat dry and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper (add a pinch of granulated garlic if you like) and let stand.

Lightly toast the bread, trim the off crust and add to the bowl of a food processor along with the parsley. Pulse until crumbs are approximately 1/8 inch across. Set aside.

Beat the cream with a wire whisk until thickened, then add the eggs and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile, melt pure beef lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat to a depth of about 1/2 inch (the veal should float rather than stick to the bottom of the pan. It actually absorbs less fat that way) and hold at no more than 350 degrees.

Lightly dredge the veal in the flour, patting it between you hands to shake off any excess.

Using one hand, dip the floured veal into the egg wash and hold aloft for a moment to let the excess drain off.  Drop the veal into bread crumbs and coat on all sides without packing the bread on too tight.

Carefully slide the breaded veal into the hot lard and fry until cooked through and golden brown on both sides (about 4-5 minutes total, depending on thickness. Don’t overcook).  Transfer cook veal to a paper plate to drain for a minute, then dress with freshly-squeezed lemon juice and serve hot with a side of mustard potato salad.