1lbvenisontrimmed of silver skin, preferably a leg roast
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
3beaten eggsfor the breading
4cupspanko breadcrumbslightly ground in a food processor
Dried bolete mushrooms a few handfuls(roughly 4 cups or 40 grams) for the breading
20gramsdried bolete mushroomsroughly 2 cups of slices preferably nice looking slices, for the sauce
Pinchof fresh chopped thymeoptional
2.5cupsmeat stock or water
¼cupdry white wine
Fresh squeezed lemon juiceto taste
2tablespoonsall purpose flour
½cupyellow onionsmall dice
1large clove of garlic
3tablespoonslard or cooking oilplus more as needed for browning the cutlets
Fresh sliced chivesto garnish, optional
Acorn spaetzlerecipe here, wilted cabbage, or both
Instructions
Season the venison roast and let it sit overnight, uncovered in the fridge to firm up and make for easy slicing (optional). Rehydrate the mushrooms in cool water for 15 minutes, then swish to remove grit, remove the mushrooms and reserve separately from the liquid. If your mushrooms are very large, rough-chop them.
For the sauce, cook the onion in the lard or oil on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and aromatic, about 10 minutes, the onion should be well colored. Add the garlic and thyme, if using and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the flour and stir until absorbed by the oil.
Turn down the heat to medium-low to prevent burning the roux. Deglaze with the wine, allow it to absorb, stirring constantly, then add the stock gradually, waiting until the roux absorbs each addition to prevent lumps.
When all the stock has been added, add the mushrooms, season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, then reserve. From here the sauce can be made in advance. Just before serving the sauce, add the lemon juice to taste.
For the shnitzel, cut thin slices of venison roast on the bias to get the widest slices possible, cutting down, but not all the way through the first cut to make butterflied cutlets of roughly 3 oz each. Pound the pieces to spread them out with a meat mallet, then reserve.
To finish and serve, dredge the cutlets in the toasted leccinum powder, then in the egg, and finally the crumbs. Fry each of the cutlets, working in small batches, until golden brown on each side, keeping finished cutlets in a warm oven, uncovered, until needed. Arrange each cutlet on a pre-heated plate, along with a serving of acorn spaetzle, passing the sauce alongside to prevent the cutlets from getting soggy.
Notes
You can substitute your favorite dried mushrooms for the Leccinums. Porcini make a good substitute.