I had a bunch of ground veal left over from my last post, so I decided to make veal croquettes (my spin on Viennese Butterschnitzel). Croquettes are typically deep-fried in oil, but here I try to reduce the fat a bit by pan-frying the croquettes in a little oil and butter until crispy. I really like the depth of flavor provided by the lemon and nutmeg (I could add nutmeg to just about anything!). I served the croquettes with steamed asparagus and a fresh caprese salad, which I think went together well. This crazy dish is truly delicious — please try it next weekend and let me know what you think!

1/8 cup skim milk
1/8 cup crème fraîche
2 slices sandwich bread, coarsely torn into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 ground black pepper, divided
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp finely grated, chopped lemon rind
2 1/2 Tbsp finely chopped chives
1 1/4 lbs ground veal
1/2 cup fine, unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp butter
8 oz cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Whisk together milk and crème fraîche in a small bowl. Stir in bread pieces and let stand 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the bread-milk-crème fraîche mixture together with the egg, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, nutmeg, lemon rind, 1 Tbsp chives and veal. Mix with hand until ingredients are well-incorporated. Form into 4 4-inch patties. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Coat patties all over with the breadcrumbs and set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Once foam from butter has subsided, gently place the patties in the skillet. cook patties until golden brown, turning once half way through, about 10 minutes in total. Remove patties (time to call them “croquettes”) from skillet to a warm plate and cover loosely with foil.

Add mushrooms, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 black pepper and 1 1/2 Tbsp chives to the skillet. Stir over high heat until mushrooms begin to release water, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer until browned, about 3 more minutes. Serve croquettes, topped with the mushrooms and parsley.

Serves 4.