Pork Patties with Creamed Peas and Carrots

How to make it

1. Peel the potatoes and cut the largest ones in half so all the pieces are roughly the same size and finish cooking at the same time. ⏱ 10 min
2. Put the potatoes in a pot, cover them with cold water and add the salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes for 20-24 minutes, until a knife slides into the center without resistance. Drain the water and let them stand covered. ⏱ 20 min–25 min · passive
   Chef's tip Starting with cold water is the whole point: drop the potatoes into boiling water and the outer edges cook to pieces and cloud the water long before a knife slides easily into the center.
3. Peel the carrots and cut them into slices about half a centimeter thick, so they cook evenly.
4. Cook the carrot slices in a pot of lightly salted water for 6-8 minutes, until tender but still with a slight bite. ⏱ 6 min–8 min · passive
5. Add the frozen peas and continue cooking for 2 minutes, until they are hot and bright light green. Pour the vegetables into a strainer and let them drain well.
6. Melt the butter for the stew in a pot over medium heat, sprinkle in the flour and stir into a smooth roux. Let it bubble for 2 minutes, until it smells faintly nutty without taking on color.
   Chef's tip That faint smell of toasted nuts is the raw flour taste cooking off. If the roux takes on color, the flour loses its thickening power and the stew comes out thinner than it should be.
7. Add the milk a little at a time while whisking constantly, so the sauce stays smooth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon in an even layer.
   Chef's tip The first splashes of milk are where lumps form, so add them in small amounts and whisk to a smooth paste before loosening further. The sauce won't reach full thickness until it has actually simmered.
8. Fold the drained carrots and peas into the sauce and heat through for 2 minutes, until the stew is steaming. Season with salt, pepper, the sugar and the freshly grated nutmeg — the sugar isn't for sweetness but to lift the flavor of the carrots.
9. Knead the ground veal and pork thoroughly with salt and pepper for 2 minutes, until the mixture turns sticky and holds together in your hand — the salt draws out the proteins so the cutlets hold their shape in the pan. Shape the mixture into four flat, oval cutlets about one and a half centimeters thick.
   Chef's tip Salt dissolves myosin so the mince turns tacky and binds — you'll feel it grip your palm and hold when you turn your hand over. Under-kneaded meat crumbles at the turn.
10. Beat the egg in a deep plate and spread the breadcrumbs on another. Turn each cutlet first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing lightly until the whole surface is covered in a dry, even layer with no bare patches.
    Chef's tip Let excess egg drip off before the crumbs, and don't press hard — a thick, wet coat steams under the crust and slides off in sheets when you cut in.
11. Melt the butter for frying in a large skillet over medium heat, until it has stopped foaming. Add the breaded cutlets and fry for 5-6 minutes on the first side, until the breading is deep golden brown and crisp.
    Chef's tip The foaming is water boiling out of the butter; once it quiets the pan is dry enough to crisp rather than steam. If the butter browns fast and dark, pull the heat down — the crumbs will scorch long before the meat is done.
12. Turn the cutlets and fry for 5-6 minutes on the other side, until the juices running out are clear and the meat is cooked through with no pink center — ground meat should always reach a core temperature of 75°C.
13. Place a cutlet on each dinner plate with the steaming potatoes alongside. Bring the stew to the table in a warm bowl set in the middle, so everyone can ladle it generously over the potatoes and up against the cutlet.