Meat & potatoes is supposedly a classic combination from the British Isles, but they don't have a monopoly on it, as Mr. Vialardi shows. His recipe, which is from the 1850s, is more cursory than modern cooks are used to, and I have fleshed it out. To serve 4:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 thick veal cutlets (1 1/2-2 pounds, 650-900 g in all) , boned, gristle trimmed away, and pounded to flatten them
- 1/4 cup (50 g) unsalted butter
- A small onion, minced
- A small bunch parsley, minced
- A clove of garlic, minced
- 1 pound (500 g, or more, depending upon your diners) potatoes, peeled and sliced
- Oil or butter for pan frying
Preparation:
Mr. Vialardi's instructions:
Take 4 thick veal chops pound them lightly to flatten them, remove any gristle and bone fragments they may have, and put them in a pot with unsalted butter, fat (suet or lard, and a modern cook would likely go with just the butter) and a minced mixture of onion, parsley, and garlic; sauté until the meat has browned, then sprinkle two glasses of water or broth over it, and simmer it until it is tender and the sauce much reduced. Transfer the fat to a second pot and fry a pound (500 g) of sliced, peeled, blanched potatoes in it until they are golden. Put the potatoes and the cutlets in a serving platter, pour the sauce from the cutlets over them, check seasoning, and serve.
An observation: It is going to be difficult to transfer the fat to a second skillet for the potatoes. I would simply heat another half cup of fat in a second skillet and pan fry them while the meat cooks, seasoning them with salt and pepper to taste.
Take 4 thick veal chops pound them lightly to flatten them, remove any gristle and bone fragments they may have, and put them in a pot with unsalted butter, fat (suet or lard, and a modern cook would likely go with just the butter) and a minced mixture of onion, parsley, and garlic; sauté until the meat has browned, then sprinkle two glasses of water or broth over it, and simmer it until it is tender and the sauce much reduced. Transfer the fat to a second pot and fry a pound (500 g) of sliced, peeled, blanched potatoes in it until they are golden. Put the potatoes and the cutlets in a serving platter, pour the sauce from the cutlets over them, check seasoning, and serve.
An observation: It is going to be difficult to transfer the fat to a second skillet for the potatoes. I would simply heat another half cup of fat in a second skillet and pan fry them while the meat cooks, seasoning them with salt and pepper to taste.
