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Pork Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

A complete schnitzel supper pairs crisp pork with fluffy potatoes, snappy green beans, and a bright skillet sauce.

Golden pork schnitzel sits beside mashed potatoes and green beans with lemon-butter sauce on the vegetables.

The contrast makes this plate work: thin pork fries into a craggy golden crust while the potatoes stay soft and the green beans keep their snap. A quick sauce from the skillet's browned bits brings lemon and butter to the sides without softening the schnitzel.

Start with the longest cook

Potatoes take longer than thin pork, so get them simmering before you pound and bread the cutlets. Cutting them into even pieces lets the pot finish at roughly the same time as the breading work.

Keep the coating light

An even quarter-inch cutlet cooks quickly enough for the crumbs to brown without burning. Flour gives the egg a grip, while a light press in the breadcrumbs leaves room for the coating to puff in the oil.

Thin pork cutlets move through flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs before shallow frying. — Thin pork cutlets receive a light breadcrumb coating before frying.

Finish the sides with care

A minute in the warm pot dries the boiled potatoes before butter goes in, keeping the mash fluffy. The beans need only a short boil; drain them uncovered so their heat does not continue cooking them into softness.

Use the good browned bits

After frying, pour away the oil and remove any blackened crumbs, but leave the golden residue in the skillet. Broth lifts those savory bits; reducing it before adding butter and lemon gives the sauce body and a clean finish.

Close view of a crisp golden schnitzel crust beside buttery mashed potatoes and green beans. — The golden crumb crust stays crisp beside the glossy lemon-butter sauce.

Plate for crunch

The sauce belongs with the beans and mashed potatoes, where it adds brightness and richness. Put the rested schnitzel on the plate last, leave its top dry, and offer lemon wedges for anyone who wants extra acidity.

Pork Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans

4 servings

55 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin cutlets (about 1 1/2 lb total)
• 1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups plain dry breadcrumbs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup neutral oil, for shallow frying
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

Method

Start the potatoes
Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, and season the water with salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until a knife slips through a piece easily, 15 to 18 minutes.
Look for: A knife slides through the potatoes without resistance.
Pound and season the pork
While the potatoes cook, pound each pork cutlet between sheets of parchment to about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides with salt and black pepper so the thin meat cooks evenly and tastes seasoned throughout.
Look for: Each cutlet is an even 1/4 inch thick with no thick center.
Bread the cutlets
Set flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs in three shallow dishes. Coat each cutlet in flour, dip in egg, then cover with breadcrumbs, pressing lightly; leave the coating loose enough to puff as it fries.
Look for: No bare patches of pork remain and the crumb coating is dry to the touch.
Cook the green beans
Bring a second saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the fresh green beans for 3 to 4 minutes until bright green and crisp-tender, then drain and set aside, uncovered, so they do not steam soft.
Look for: The beans are vivid green and bend slightly while retaining a little snap.
Mash the potatoes
Drain the tender potatoes well and return them to the warm pan over low heat for 1 minute to shed moisture. Mash with 4 tbsp butter, season with salt and pepper, and cover off heat to keep warm.
Look for: The mash is fluffy rather than watery, with the butter fully incorporated.
Fry the schnitzel
Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until a breadcrumb sizzles on contact. Fry cutlets in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden and the pork reaches 145 F; drain on a rack and rest 3 minutes.
Look for: The crust is evenly golden and an instant-read thermometer registers 145 F.
Make the lemon pan sauce
Pour off the frying oil and wipe loose burnt crumbs from the skillet. Add the chicken broth and simmer, scraping up the golden bits, until reduced by about half; turn off the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Look for: The sauce lightly coats a spoon and looks glossy, with no separate butter slick.
Warm and serve
Warm the drained green beans briefly in the pan sauce, then divide them and the mashed potatoes among plates. Add the rested schnitzel, spoon sauce alongside and over the potatoes, and serve with wedges cut from the remaining lemon.
Look for: The beans are hot, the sauce is glossy, and the schnitzel crust stays uncovered and crisp.