Cotoletta Milanese - Breaded Veal Cutlet
Ingredients:
- Veal loin 2 ¼ lbs (1 kg)
- Eggs 4 - large
- Breadcrumbs 2 ¼ cups (300 g)
- Clarified butter 1 ⅓ cup (300 g)
- Salt to taste
- Grated potatoes 1 lb (500 g)
- Clarified butter ½ cup (100 g)
- Rosemary 1 sprig
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Garlic 1 clove
1.To prepare the Cotoletta Milanese (Breaded veal cutlet), first of all, cut the veal loin into cutlets. To do this, cut the meat by inserting the knife between the bones to make 4 cutlets of about half a pound (250 g) each . At this point scratch the bone with the tip of a knife to clean the skin off completely. Otherwise the bone handle would darken during cooking and not become lighter thanks to the hot butter.
2.Still using the knife, cut off part of the bone for quicker cooking time. Using a meat pounder, beat the slice of meat slightly, so that the thickness is evened out but without reducing it. Use a knife again to remove the extra connective tissue, which would make the cutlet shrink during cooking.
3.Set aside the meat and prepare the eggs. Break them into a bowl and mix them slightly with a whip, without breaking them up too much. If they're too small, add another one. Put the breadcrumbs into a large bowl.
4.Take the cutlets by the bone and first dip them in the breadcrumbs, then dip them in the eggs and again in the breadcrumbs, pressing well with your hands so that the breadcrumbs stick better. Make a double breading by dipping the cutlets again in the eggsand again in breadcrumbs, pressing well but without flattening the meat too much. Repeat this operation for all the cutlets, then using the flat side of the blade of a knife, tap the slices to even out and set the breadcrumbs.
5.Finally, with the dull edge of the blade, make a sort of grid on the ribs by first pressing horizontal lines and then vertical. Repeat the same for all the others and start preparing the potatoes. Wash the potatoes with a little water and baking soda, then dry them.
6.Then get your vegetable slicer and a bowl full of water. Make slices about 1/10" (2-3 mm) thick and gradually transfer them into the bowl filled with water; this way they will release some starch but will not oxidize. Put some water in a pan, salt it and bring it to a boil. Then drain the potatoes and pour them into the water.
7.Blanch them for about 90 seconds then drain them again and cool them slightly under a cold water jet. This precooking will reduce the cooking time in butter. Dry the potatoes with a dish towel and in the meantime heat a large saucepan. Add the clarified butter and let it melt.
8.Then add a lightly crushed poached clove of garlic to the potatoes, a sprig of rosemary and let it all brown over a high flame, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, take another large pan, which will be used to cook your cutlet and melt the butter.
9.As soon as it is hot but not too hot, place the cutlets, making sure that the part with the lines is in contact with the pan. After about 4 minutes, the cutlets will be well browned, then turn them and with a spoon collect some cooking fat and sprinkle it on the rib bone; this way there will be no bloody streaks and you will get a clear bone. Cutlets will have to cook for about another 4 minutes, this time depends on the thickness of the cut and you will want a pinkish meat inside.
10.Potatoes will have the same cooking time; when they are cooked, you can salt them and season them with a little pepper. Drain the potatoes on a sheet of absorbent paper, remove the garlic and blot them with another sheet to remove the excess fat, even if it is very little depending on the type of potatoes chosen.
11.When cutlets are ready, using a pair of tongs, transfer them to a plate with absorbent paper and again with a sheet of paper gently dab, to eliminate the excess fat. At this point everything is ready, all you have left to do is put them on a plate. Place the potatoes on the side of the plate, near the cutlet and season with maldon salt. Serve and enjoy!