Surschnitzel (Cured Pork Cutlet)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Meat mallet or heavy pan for pounding
• •Three shallow dishes for breading station
• •Wide heavy-bottomed pan (28-30cm) for frying
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Wide bowl for potato salad

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the Erdäpfelsalat

   Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled in salted water until a knife slides in with no resistance but the center still holds its shape. This takes about twenty to twenty-five minutes depending on size. Don't overcook them or your salad turns to mush. Drain and peel while they're still hot. Use a kitchen towel to hold them. Cut into slices about four millimeters thick. They should hold together but look like they might not.

   Waxy potatoes are not negotiable here. Floury potatoes dissolve into paste when you dress them warm. Kipfler, Charlotte, or any firm waxy variety will hold its shape and absorb the dressing properly.
2. 2

   Dress the potatoes warm

   While the potatoes are still warm, layer them in a wide bowl with the sliced red onion. Whisk together the warm beef broth, vinegar, oil, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the potatoes gently. Don't stir, don't toss. Let it sit. Warm potatoes drink up dressing the way cold ones never will. That's the whole secret of Austrian Erdäpfelsalat. After fifteen minutes, give it a gentle turn with a spatula. Taste and adjust for salt and vinegar. Scatter the chives over the top just before serving.

   The broth must be warm when you pour it. Cold broth sits on the surface. Warm broth gets pulled into the starch of the hot potato. This is the difference between a salad that tastes dressed and one that tastes alive.
3. 3

   Pound the cutlets

   Place each cured pork cutlet between two sheets of cling film. Pound with a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pan until about five millimeters thick. Even thickness matters more than exact measurement. If one end is thicker than the other, the thin part overcooks while the thick part stays underdone. The cure means you won't need much salt. Taste a small piece if you're unsure, since cured pork varies in saltiness. Add a light grind of black pepper on both sides.

4. 4

   Set up the breading station

   Line up three shallow dishes: flour in the first, beaten eggs in the second, breadcrumbs in the third. This is the Viennese Panier, the same three-step breading used for Wiener Schnitzel, and the order matters. Flour first gives the egg something to cling to. Egg gives the crumbs something to cling to. Skip a step and the whole coating falls apart in the pan. Dredge each cutlet in flour, shake off the excess, dip through the beaten egg, then press into the breadcrumbs. Don't pack them tight. You want a loose, airy coat that puffs when it hits the fat.

   Use fine Semmelbrösel, breadcrumbs made from dried Semmeln (Austrian bread rolls). They fry up lighter and crispier than coarse breadcrumbs. If you can't find them, blitz stale white bread rolls in a food processor and sieve out any large pieces.
5. 5

   Fry the Surschnitzel

   Heat the clarified butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high heat. You need enough that the Schnitzel floats, not sits. Test with a breadcrumb: it should sizzle immediately and rise to the surface. Slide the first cutlet in carefully, away from you, and gently swirl the pan so hot fat washes over the top of the Schnitzel. This is what creates the signature wavy, puffed crust. Fry for about two to three minutes on the first side until deep gold. Flip once. Once. Cook another two minutes until the second side matches. Lift it out and let it rest on a wire rack, never on paper towels, which trap moisture and make the bottom go soggy.

   Clarified butter is worth the trouble because it fries at a higher temperature without burning. Regular butter will brown and smoke before the Schnitzel is done. If you can't clarify your own, a good Butterschmalz from a jar works. Lard is the traditional rural alternative and gives a beautiful crust.
6. 6

   Serve immediately

   Place each Surschnitzel on a warm plate, overlapping the edge the way a proper Gasthaus does. A lemon quarter goes on the plate. The Erdäpfelsalat goes beside it, not under it, not on a separate plate. Squeeze the lemon over the Schnitzel at the table. The acid cuts through the richness and wakes up the cured pork flavor. No sauce. Not ever. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •If you can't find pre-cured pork (gepökeltes Schweinefleisch), you can cure your own. Dissolve 50g salt, 5g sugar, and 3g curing salt (Pökelsalz) in a liter of cold water. Submerge boneless pork loin in the brine and refrigerate for three to five days. Rinse and pat dry before breading. It's worth the wait.
• •Gretel always said the Erdäpfelsalat should be made an hour before you need it. It improves as it sits. The potatoes absorb the dressing and the vinegar mellows. Make the salad first, let it rest at room temperature, then fry the Schnitzel.
• •Don't crowd the pan. Fry one or two Schnitzel at a time and keep the finished ones warm on a rack in a low oven. A crowded pan drops the temperature and you get pale, oily coating instead of crisp golden armor.
• •The cured pork is already salty, so go easy with additional seasoning. Taste a small corner of raw meat before you bread it. Some cures are stronger than others.

Advance Preparation

• •Erdäpfelsalat should be made 30 to 60 minutes before serving and left at room temperature. It tastes best slightly warm, never cold from the fridge.
• •If curing your own pork, begin the brine three to five days before you plan to cook. The cutlets can be pounded and stacked between cling film up to a few hours ahead and refrigerated.
• •Breading should be done just before frying. A breaded Schnitzel sitting in the fridge gets damp, and damp breading won't puff.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 430g)