Susan fell in love with this dish at the Bear Trap Inn in Land ‘O Lakes, Wisconsin (just about 20 minutes for our cabin in the woods). It was so peppery and lemony and crispy – truly amazing comfort food.
We adapted this recipe after several tries with some Internet recipes and some research. We also splurged for a spaetzle maker from Amazon and that was a game changer. This recipe makes two good portions and probably some spaetzle left over for lunch. You can never have too many lemon wedges with this dish!
Ingredients:
Schnitzel:
- 2 pork chops
- 1/4 C flour
- 1 egg
- 1 T dijon mustard
- 1/4 C buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 t cayenne pepper
- 1.5 C panko bread crumbs
- canola oil
- lemon wedges
Spaetzle:
- 3/4 C flour
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 T dijon mustard
- 1 t salt
- 1 t freshly ground black pepper
- 2 T butter
- 1 T chopped parsley
Sauce:
- 2 T minced shallot
- 1/2 stick diced butter
- 1/4 C white wine
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 T heavy cream
- 1 T capers
- 1 t chopped fresh dill
- salt and pepper
First, place the pork chops (slice out the bone if not boneless) between two layers of plastic wrap and pound out until they are about 1/4” thick.
In a low, open bowl, mix together the flour, egg, buttermilk and mustard. In another bowl, add the panko, salt, and cayenne. In a dutch oven, heat canola oil (about 1/4” deep) to about 325 degrees. Dip the chops in the buttermilk mixture, shake off and then coat with the panko and gently add to the pan with the hot oil. Cook until the first side is golden brown (about four minutes) then flip for another few minutes.
When done, we put on a hotel pan with a grate in a 170 degree oven to keep warm and crispy.
To make the spaetzle: mix the flour, eggs, buttermilk, mustard, salt and pepper together until a batter forms.
Bring three-four quarts of salted water to a boil. Spray the spaetzle maker with Pam and set over the boiling water. Put a good dollop of the batter in there and run back it back and forth while pushing down with a silicon spatula. Cook for one-two minutes and then fish out and put into a bowl or hotel pan and drizzle with EVOO and stir (this keeps them from sticking). Repeat the process until the batter is used up.
Now it’s time to make the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt 1 T of butter. Add the chopped shallot and cook until soft. Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced. 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 cream, lemon zest, dill and capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To finish the spaetzle, melt butter in a skillet and just when the butter is turning golden brown, add the spaetzle to the pan. Cook for one minute per side, until slightly golden brown. Add the chopped parsley to the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Prepare each plate with some of the spaetzle, one of the fried cutlets and top with the sauce. Finish off with some fresh cracked pepper and some more parsley and garnish with a few lemon wedges (you’ll want to squeeze the lemon over the pork). Time to kick back and feast, Hofbrau style!
