Chef Robert Wiedmaier gives butchering demos at the Butcher's Block in Alexandria, Virginia. At his restaurant next door, Brabo, he serves elegant dishes, like this veal chop. To make the wine sauce even more complex, use demiglace (concentrated veal stock) instead of beef stock and flour. Demiglace is available from dartagnan.com. More Veal Recipes
How to Make It
In a large, shallow dish, combine 1/4 cup of the olive oil with the thyme sprigs and garlic. Add the veal chops and turn to coat with the marinade. Refrigerate overnight.
In a medium saucepan, combine the wine with half of the shallots and boil until the wine has reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the remaining shallot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 3 minutes. Stir in the flour. Slowly whisk in the stock until smooth, then bring to a boil, whisking until thickened. Whisk in the reduced wine and simmer over low heat, whisking, for 30 minutes. Strain the sauce into the medium saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Remove the veal chops from the marinade; discard the thyme and scrape off the garlic. Season the chops with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook over high heat until richly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops for about 10 minutes, turning once halfway through; the veal should be just pink in the center. Transfer the chops to plates and spoon the sauce on top. Serve with Potato Puree.