Last Updated on December 14, 2023
This deceptively simple but impressive dish is traditional to the Balkan region of Eastern Europe. ButcherBox’s pork loin chops are perfect for this dish; they’re lean, so they contrast beautifully with the richness of the other ingredients.
Though it looks complex, this dish is easy to make: You pound the pork to a 1/4-inch thickness, then stuff it with ham and cream cheese and roll it up. You then bread the rolls and fry them to crispy golden perfection.
A few pointers: Traditionally, this recipe would call for kajmak, a type of fresh cheese common in the Balkans. If you find it, by all means use it–but if not, regular cream cheese is a good substitute. If you’re having trouble keeping the rolls together, use toothpicks to secure them while frying. Finally, if you’re in a pinch for time, you can skip the seasoning time in the fridge and get right to stuffing and cooking.
This recipes comes to us courtesy of chef William Djuric of Balkan StrEAT, a counter service restaurant in New York City whose menu is inspired by Balkan street food and the chef’s family recipes.
Ingredients
- 2 ButcherBox Boneless Pork Loin Chops defrosted and patted dry
- Salt and pepper
- ½ lb thinly sliced smoked ham
- 2 oz cream cheese or kajmak cheese
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1¼ cups coarse breadcrumbs such as panko
- Canola oil for frying
- Tartar sauce for serving
- Lemon wedges for serving
- French fries for serving
Instructions
- Butterfly the pork loin chops one at a time. Place the first one flat on a cutting board, position a sharp chef’s knife sideways and slice through the middle of the chop, creating two thinner pieces. Repeat with the remaining chop.
- Cut a large piece of plastic (at least 3 times the size of a pork slice), place 1 pork slice in the middle of it then cover with another large piece of plastic wrap. Using a meat hammer, pound out the pork slice into a very thin, about ¼-inch thick, rectangular cutlet. A slight oval shape is okay too. Uncover the top plastic piece, season the pounded pork cutlet with salt and pepper, cover again and refrigerate for a few hours or up to overnight. Repeat with the remaining slices of pork.
- Take the cutlets out of the fridge, remove the top plastic pieces and lay half of the ham on a cutlet to completely cover it. Repeat with the remaining cutlets and ham. With a spoon, smear half the cream cheese in the center of a hammy cutlet, repeat with the remaining cutlets and cream cheese.
- Fold the short sides of one of the cutlet edges in. Then fold and roll the entire cutlet from one end to the other tightly, fully encasing the cheese in the middle. If it doesn’t feel secure, like it’s going to unravel, use toothpicks to hold it together. Repeat with remaining 3 cutlets.
- Place the eggs, flour and breadcrumbs each on a separate plate. Dredge each rolled cutlet on all sides in the flour first, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Make sure cutlets are completely covered in breadcrumbs then set aside.
- Heat 1½ inches of canola oil in a fry pan over medium-high until it reaches 350º F. Fry each rolled cutlet, 1 by 1, turning with tongs as needed until golden brown all over and the pork is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Serve the schnitzels hot with tartar sauce, lemon wedges and French fries.
