Part of the fun of October is not only the fun of Halloween, but also for celebrating German culture and it’s delicious, rib-sticking comfort food!
My husband and I made a decision to move onto our acreage 12 years ago and have not had trick-or-treaters come knocking on our front door for years now. So the handing out treats to little ghosts and goblins on Halloween has truly fallen down on our list of seasonal priorities. In its place we focus more on enjoying seasonal recipes and other rituals, including the German tradition of Octoberfest.
My husband is 50% German and he was in heaven in the ‘meat-and-potato’ country of Germany when we visited. If you are watching your calories and cholesterol, then a trip to Germany will bust all of those attempts. Germany gets cold, especially in Bavaria in the winter, so food is hearty, hefty, and rib-sticking comfort food. It’s truly delicious and you need to know what to order on the menus if you’ve never visited before.
My family loves pork and I can’t get enough mushrooms! We’re also a family of potato nuts. This authentic, classic German recipe is perfect for Octoberfest: Jaeger Schnitzel with Spaetzle . . . it will satisfy anyone else with similar food preferences.
Jaegerschnitzel (or Jägerschnitzel) is a traditional German dish that consists of a creamy mushroom sauce served over crisp, thick, breaded cutlets of meat. It’s a German dish that just screams ‘autumn’! There is a apparently a strong debate on the true way to prepare this treasured recipe. Is pork or veal used? (I’d like it with either)! Is the meat breaded or not? (Breaded is better, in our opinion). All Germans agree that the most common sauce of the dish is one made of rich and creamy mushrooms sautéed in butter, cream and white wine. “Jaeger” stands for “hunter-style”. The mushrooms can be chanterelles (Pfifferlinge), common button mushrooms or a combination of different mushrooms. It is an excellent companion to German spaetzle, mashed or fried potatoes or dumplings.
When in Fusseen, Germany, the small town at the foot of the mountains where the ‘mad’ German King Ludvig’s castle sets, we spent a day strolling around the shops and old midieval architecture. The eatery, “Zum Hechten” was recommended to us for authentic, local fare.
Here’s my husband, Mr. Meat and Potatoes, anxiously awaiting some rib-sticking cuisine to match his name!
Now I may be Italian, but even my family prepared our favorite version of breaded meat cutlets that we called ‘scallopini’ . . . but German Jager Schnitzel takes fried breaded cutlets to a higher level!
German Jaegar Schnitzel (Jägerschnitzel)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 lb. mushrooms, sliced (your choice of variety)
- 2 cups beef broth/stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons cream, divided
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon freshly minced garlic (my addition)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
- dash of marjoram
- dash of minced bay leaf
For the Schnitzel
- 1 lb. pork or veal cutlets, cut 1/2 inch thick
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups breadcrumbs (Panko breadcrumbs work great too)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly minced garlic (my addition)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Garnish
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- 4 slices of thick bacon, cooked until brown, and crumbled
Instructions
For the Jaeger sauce
- Heat the tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.
- Place the sliced mushrooms in the pan and brown for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the broth and white wine and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the cream, mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, marjoram and bay.
- Bring to a gentle boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for several minutes.
- In a small, separate bowl, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream with 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Add the flour slurry to the mushroom mixture and bring to a boil, stirring to avoid clumps.
- Add the fresh chopped parsley.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Turn off the heat and cover the pan with aluminum foil to keep warm while cutlets are cooked.
Make the schnitzel
- Lay the pork cutlets out on a cutting board.
- Cover the cutlets with plastic wrap and use a kitchen mallet or your fist to pound the cutlets until thin (1/4 inch thick or less)
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium sized skillet.
- Dip each cutlet in the flour mixture, then the eggs, and then the breadcrumbs.
- Shake off the excess, place in the skillet and sauté in the butter for 3 minutes on each side or until the pork cutlets are cooked through.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a serving platter.
- Retrieve the still warm, creamy jaeger sauce and pour it over the cooked cutlets and serve.
- Garnish with minced parsley and crumbled bacon.
Notes
- Note: Have some sour cream on hand to stir in if you prefer a thicker consistency in your sauce!
My husband is 100% German and he dislikes almost all German dishes…and you are not going to persuade him to eat any potato dish, except fries..he loves Turkish and Greek food. Your Jagerschnitzel looks great!
A lot of people have not experienced great German food, but this is extraordinary!
That looks so good! No German in my family, but we do love German food. That sauce is wonderful! My hubby is a “meat and potatoes” guy too, and would welcome this in any season. 🙂
My husband is just like yours, Betty…. a total meat and potatoes kind of guy! This will make your husband VERY happy in the tummy!
Roz
I’ve never met a schnitzel I didn’t like and Jägerschnitzel is a particular favorite especially when served like this over spaetzle. I will definitely try this recipe at home.
Let me know what you think Larry. I fell in love with authentic German food during our visit in ’15!
Roz
what a lovely place Fussen and its zone should be , I take note about the restaurant I like schnitzel !Un abbraccio
We enjoyed Fussen, Germany very much Chiara. So many wonderful places to see and dine in around the world and so little time to see them all!
Un abbraccio,
Roz
This is a delicious recipe Roz, and we have to try it with pork chops indeed! Very simple to make too- love it!
Great idea! This mushroom sauce would be fabulous over pork chops! I’ll have to try that too, Liz and Anna!
Roz
German food is not something that I eat much of, but I do love a good schnitzel and yours looks delicious! The whole meal looks delicious!
We don’t eat a lot of German food either since there are few and far between restaurants around here, but this is one recipe that I really love and want to make more!
Roz
I am married to a Dane, and he is also aa meat and potatoes guy. Maybe its the region. I make a dish like his as his Grandmother made it nd I could never pronounce it.
Hi Ellen,
I have a hard time pronouncing it too, but I have no problem at all enjoying it. Thanks for your kind comment! Happy 2017!
Roz