In honor of my family’s German heritage, I decided to make a German-influenced dinner. While most people first think of sauerbraten, which I’m not crazy about, or brats as something they would have during Oktoberfest, I decided to search for a schnitzel-type main course. While searching through the mountain of saved recipes I have on Pinterest, I came across a recipe for jaegerschnitzel from Bacon, Butter, Cheese & Garlic that sounded scrumptious. I think my German grandparents would have approved of this recipe, as it’s fantastic. To round out the meal, we also had Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Kirschenmichel (traditional German cherry cake).

Jaegerschnitzel

4 boneless pork chops
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Seasoned salt
Dried parsley
Olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 pound bacon, chopped

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Cook the bacon until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.

Pound the pork chops to about 1/4-inch thickness. Mix together the flour with some garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, seasoned salt and dried parsley. (Amounts of spices are up to your family’s taste – start with 1 teaspoon of each and adjust as needed.)

In another bowl, whisk the 2 eggs together with a splash of water.

In a third bowl, mix the panko with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, seasoned salt and dried parsley.

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Dip the pork cutlets in the flour, then into the egg, and finally into the panko mixture, pressing down to coat. Fry the cutlets in the olive oil until browned and crispy on both sides and done through. Drain them on paper towels, and keep warm in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven.

For the sauce, put the reserved bacon grease and butter into a large skillet, and melt the butter. Cook the shallots and the mushrooms over medium-high heat until tender. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Sprinkle the flour over the mushroom mixture, and stir to combine. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, to cook off the taste of the flour and allow the roux to form. Add in the beef stock, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and sour cream. Whisk everything together to combine. Continue cooking and whisking until thickened and bubbly.

Serve the sauce over the pork cutlets, and garnish with the bacon the chopped parsley.