Potato Crusted Turkey Cutlets for Passover is a simple recipe for crispy, gluten-free “breaded” turkey slices.
Just 4 ingredients (3 main ingredients and a unique Israeli spice mixture) make these schnitzels a delicious and easy meal for lunch or dinner any time during the holiday!
And you can switch out the Israeli seasoning for your own favorite blend.
Slice the turkey into strips or nuggets—the kids will love them, especially since they don’t even have that “Passover” taste!
These turkey cutlets are a terrific and simple dish to have any time during the week of Passover.
Serve with salad or mashed potatoes. Eat alone, with ketchup, or with dressing.
Terrific with French fries.
Cut into strips before frying and make fingers for the kids!
Having guests and need something quick. These are perfect!
They contain no matzo meal, so they are even great for the day of the seder!
Eating on the day of the seder
Jews who keep the laws of Passover do not eat matzo or any foods that contain anything from matzo (such as matzo meal or matzo cake meal) the entire day before the seder, which is in the evening.
Some people even have the custom of not eating such foods for two weeks before, beginning on Rosh Chodesh Nissan or even as far back as Purim, which is a month before.
Kosher for Passover Pantry Essentials (Suggestion)
As I learned to prepare more and more recipes for Passover, I also learned which basics and seasonings are good to have on hand to have the ability to make a dish on short notice—especially during the holiday—and not have to run out to the store or borrow from a neighbor.
While I will admit that I am not always prepared when one of my kids will ask for eggplant parmesan or something at the drop of a hat (which they have done), I dislike having to postpone making something just because the ingredients needed to make a reasonable meal were not readily available.
So, I maintain a selection of seasonings and other essentials that I know I will use during the week of Passover.
Seasoning and flavoring:
- salt
- ground black or white pepper
- granulated garlic or garlic powder
- onion powder
- ground cinnamon
- sugar (granulated)
- brown sugar
- chicken consommé powder
- onion soup mix
- various herbs
- additional spices to adapt taste to preference
Misc:
- oil / margarine / butter / cooking spray
- potato starch as a thickening agent
- baking powder
- matzo cake meal (matzo meal, but ground into a powder)
- condiments, such as ketchup and barbecue sauce
- tomato sauce/tomato paste/canned tomatoes—diced or crushed/pasta sauce
Food on Passover
Torah-observant Jews do not eat chametz (the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye).
In addition, Torah-observant Ashkenazi Jews do not eat kitniyot (or kitniyos as pronounced in Ashkenazi Hebrew). These include legumes, corn, rice, and similar foods that were deemed forbidden to eat by rabbis in the medieval period and are still not eaten today. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews do not follow this tradition.
Many observant Ashkenazi Jews will not even eat the derivatives of these kitniyot, while others do (each family holds their own traditions regarding this).
Then, there are Ashkenazim who don’t eat “gebrokts” (or gebrochts).
Gebrokts (gebrochts) means “broken” in Yiddish, and in this case refers to matzo that has absorbed liquid. Not eating gebrokts is observed by many in the Hasidic Jewish community and Ashkenazim who have taken on this tradition, where they basically don’t mix anything wet with matzo.
So, things like matzo sandwiches, fried matzo, and even matzo balls are a no-no for them.
There is a joke that sums it all up:
On Passover, we should remember people who have little to eat on this holiday. They are called Ashkenazim.
Over the years, I have learned to adapt “normal” food for Passover so that my family won’t complain about boring, tasteless, or repetitive meals.
I find that having good food and variety makes the week of Passover a very pleasant experience, and I hope this recipe will help make yours just that!
What is a schnitzel?
The word schnitzel comes from German, meaning a cutlet, and is prepared from fried or baked tenderized slices of meat coated with egg and flour or breadcrumbs.
The story goes that schnitzel was brought to the Austro-Hungarian Empire from Italy in the middle of the 19th century.
Ever heard of the term “weinerschnitzel” (the w being pronounced like a “v”)? Well, apparently, the schnitzel dish of veal coated in breadcrumbs and fried in butter or lard was named after the Austrian city of Vienna somewhere around the turn of the 20th century, and the wienerschnitzel was born!
Then, like today, the dish was often served with fries or mashed potatoes.
Before coating, the meat is either tenderized—using a meat-tenderizing hammer—or just cut into thin slices.
Today, this original dish is prepared and served throughout the world in a variety of ways, using veal, lamb, beef, pork, turkey, or chicken, and may be known by different names (such as breaded veal cutlet, breaded pork chop, or chicken fried steak).
Schnitzels in Israel
I learned to cook schnitzels in Israel, where they are a very popular dish.
Fast food stalls in Israel serve schnitzel in a pita or on a French Baguette, accompanied by veggies or French Fries and there are eateries entirely dedicated to serving schnitzel in a variety of ways.
At home, people serve schnitzel also in a pita with vegetables and humus or techina or on a plate with sides. Israeli salad of diced cucumber and tomato is a common pita filler or side.
The Israeli version of schnitzel is made from chicken or turkey breast, but the name “schnitzel” is used also for other breaded foods, such as fish (fish schnitzel) or the vegetarian packaged version made with corn (corn schnitzel).
Most of the popular food in Israeli cuisine is from Mizrachi Jews (Jews that immigrated to Israel from Arab countries, mostly when they were expelled from there after the establishment of the State of Israel).
However, schnitzel is one of the few foods in popular Israeli cuisine that were brought to Israel by Ashkenazi (Jews from Europe).
Today, most Israelis make schnitzel by coating it with egg and then the breadcrumbs, but back when I was taught to make them, the coating was eggs, breadcrumbs, or flour, and then another coating of eggs before placing it in the hot oil to fry.
Also, some people will coat with flour before the egg because a dry piece of chicken or turkey may hold the egg better. Personally, I haven’t found any difference.
While frying is the usual way Israelis make their schnitzels, baking them will reduce fat and thus reduce calories. Note that they might be a little less flavorful.
Potato Crusted Turkey Cutlets for Passover
Easy and delicious, gluten-free turkey cutlets for Passover.
Ingredients
- 4 6-ounce raw turkey breast cutlets (weight is just a suggestion- slice a turkey breast horizontally into cutlets))
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup cup of instant potato flakes
- 1 tablespoon Israeli Grill Seasoning Mix *
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the potato flakes and the Israeli Grill Seasoning Mix in a bowl and combine well. Then, place the beaten eggs in another bowl (make sure both bowls are large enough to easily accommodate the raw turkey cutlets).
- Pour oil into a frying pan so it reaches approximately 1/8 - 1/4 inch high and heat on medium. (You will know it's hot enough when you can toss a little bit of potato flakes in and it sizzles.)
- Take a piece of the raw turkey cutlets and dip in the egg, coating well. Let the excess egg drip off a bit and then coat well with the potato flakes on both sides.
- Gently place in the hot oil.
- Repeat with the remaining cutlets. Make sure to leave a little room between the cutlets.
- Fry on one side until golden brown, then gently turn and fry on the other.
- Remove from oil and place on paper towel lined plate too absorb excess oil and cool.
Notes
* This is a recommendation. You can spice it with whateve you wish and as much as you wish or not at all (they may be somewhat bland if not spiced at all).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 283Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1287mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 42g