Valentine’s Jaeger Schnitzel

February 12th, 2011 |

Author: Susan

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I’m one of those weird people that would rather stay in on Valentine’s Day and make a nice dinner for my honey rather than going out to eat. It makes him so happy when I make one of his favorite dishes, especially when it’s something I don’t make very often. Venison Jaeger Schnitzel is one of those meals.

Rick fell in love with this traditional German meal during his Army days when he was stationed in Germany. We weren’t sure at first whether it would be good with venison, but I’m not sure why we were worried about that. Venison Jaeger Schnitzel is delicious. It’s also a bit of a production, and a little messy to make. But worth it to see the smile on his face. So if you want to impress your man this Valentine’s Day, give it a try.

Recipe: Venison Jaeger Schnitzel

Summary: This traditional German dish is fantastic with venison meat.

Ingredients

1 lbs venison backstrap (or other cut that you can butterfly and pound thin)
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 egg lightly beaten
2 tbs milk
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup crushed buttery cracker crumbs
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup venison or beef broth
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup cream

Instructions

Cut the venison into 1/2 inch steaks and butterfly (click here for instructions on butterflying venison).
In a large shallow dish, combine flour, salt, and pepper.
Dredge the steaks in the seasoned flour.
Place on a cutting board and cover with wax paper. Using a meat mallet, pound them down to just slightly less than their 1/4 inch thickness (yes, the meat may tear a bitâ€¦thatâ€™s the problem with very lean meat).
In another shallow bowl, beat the eggs and milk.
In a third shallow dish, combine bread crumbs and cracker crumbs.
Preheat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.
Dip the steaks in the egg mixture and then coat each steak on both sides with the crumbs.
Place prepared steaks gently in a single layer into the hot oil. Fry steaks for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels. Place on a plate in a warm oven to keep warm while preparing the sauce.
Using the skillet you used for the meat, fry the finely chopped onion and mushrooms for a couple of minutes (add or remove oil as needed so that there is about 1 tbs of oil in the skillet).
Add the sherry to the pan and bring to the boil, then add the broth.
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced to your desired consistency.
Remove skillet from heat and slowly and the cream. Add the parsley.
Ladle sauce over meat and serve the dish with thinly cut French fries (thatâ€™s the way Rick ate it in Germany).