Kotlet schabowy: thin, juicy Polish breaded pork cutlet
The Sunday-dinner schabowy: pounded thin, soaked briefly in milk with onion, coated in breadcrumbs and fried in lard. Served with dill potatoes and fried sauerkraut.
Your own work in that: 35 min.
- Pounding 10 min
- Milk and onion 15 min
- Breading 10 min
- Frying 15 min
Step by step
0 / 7 done
Pound the pork
Cover the pork slices with cling film and pound them with a meat mallet to about 0.5 cm. Work from the centre outwards, evenly. A cutlet left too thick stays raw inside before the crust browns.
Ingredients: 600 g boneless pork loin · 250 ml milk · 1 pcs onion · 1 tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper · 1 tsp dried marjoram
TipThe film keeps the meat from tearing and the kitchen from splatters.
Pounding under film, from the centre out
Soak in milk with onion
Season the pounded cutlets with salt, pepper and marjoram. Layer them in a bowl with onion slices and pour over the milk. Leave for 15 minutes (or overnight in the fridge). The milk and onion mellow the meat and add aroma. Meanwhile put the peeled potatoes on to boil in salted water, and squeeze, chop and braise the sauerkraut, covered, with a splash of water for about 30 minutes.
Cutlets seasoned, before the milk goes on
Set up the breading station
Three shallow plates in a row: flour, eggs beaten with a fork and a pinch of salt, breadcrumbs. Lift the cutlets out of the milk and pat dry with paper towel, or the coating will fall off.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp plain flour · 2 pcs eggs · 150 g fine breadcrumbs · 150 g lard
Flour, egg, breadcrumbs: in that order
Bread the cutlets
Dredge each cutlet in flour and shake off the excess, dip in egg, then press into the breadcrumbs on both sides. Don't compact the coating; it should be thin and even.
TipMix packet breadcrumbs half and half with fresh ones grated from a stale roll: the crust gets crunchier.
A thin, even layer of breadcrumbs
Fry in lard
Heat lard in a wide pan, a layer about 3 mm deep. The fat is ready when a breadcrumb sizzles at once. Fry 3–4 minutes per side over medium heat until golden. Don't crowd the pan: fry two at a time, in two batches (about 15 minutes in all).
TipFat too hot: dark crust, raw middle. Too cool: the coating soaks up fat.
After 3 minutes: golden edges, time to turn
Drain
Rest the fried cutlets on a wire rack or paper towel for 2 minutes. A rack is better: the underside doesn't soften in the steam.
Cutlets resting on the rack
Serve
With potatoes boiled in salted water, tossed with butter and dill, and fried sauerkraut (fry the braised sauerkraut for 3–4 minutes in a spoon of lard at the end). A lemon wedge on the plate: a few drops on the crust make a difference.
Ingredients: 1000 g potatoes · 30 g butter · 1 bunch dill · 500 g sauerkraut · 1 pcs lemon
The Sunday plate: cutlet, potatoes, sauerkraut
Before you start
Which cut?
Centre-cut boneless loin, pale pink, with a thin rim of fat. Score the fat every 2 cm so the cutlet doesn't curl.
Lard or oil?
Lard gives flavour and takes high heat. Rapeseed oil with a spoon of butter is a good alternative: butter for colour, oil for temperature.
Next day
Reheat in a dry, uncovered pan, 3 minutes per side, or 8 minutes on a rack in the oven at 180 °C. In the microwave the crust goes soft.
Nutrition
per 100 gStep photos are computer-generated from the recipe.
