It’s almost October, and Oktoberfest is in full swing. Besides all of the great beer, there is a lot of food.

My favorite German dish is something called jager schnitzel. I spent four years in Germany, and this is the dish that I always crave. I was there a few years back for five days attending the culinary Olympics, and I ate jager schnitzel seven times! I’m really in love with this dish.

This is one of the dishes where you can watch me make it with you on my website, www.cheftomm.com. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

If you have any questions or recipe suggestions, send me an e-mail or find me on Facebook and post a comment. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Until next time, happy cooking.

• Tomm Johnson, a professional chef, lives in Mountain House and shares his culinary expertise through his website, www.cheftomm.com. He can be reached by e-mail at cheftomm@cheftomm.com or via Facebook.com, under the name “Culinary Secrets with Chef Tomm.”

Jager schnitzel

Serves 2 generously

4 tablespoons butter

1½ cups medium onion, finely diced (about 6 ounces)

4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly

7 cups sliced white button mushrooms (about 1 pound)

1 quart veal stock

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

4 6-ounce portions of pork loin, about a ½-inch thick

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

16 ounces shoestring french fries

Place butter in sauté pan over medium heat until melted; add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent (about two minutes). Add in all the mushrooms, keeping the heat at medium, and cook while stirring frequently. Initially, the mushrooms will suck up all of the butter, but keep cooking them until they release it back, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add in the veal stock; cook until it is reduced by half and the sauce is nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper or adjust to your liking and hold for service.

Pound out your pork loin until it is about a quarter-inch thick and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Place the 2 tablespoons of oil in a sauté pan and bring up to heat. Place pork into the sauté pan for about one minute or until you get some good sear marks. Flip and repeat with the other side. Finish the pork in a 350-degree oven for two to three minutes. Place two pieces of pork on the plate and cover with the mushrooms and sauce. Serve with shoestring French fries.

• Chef’s note: The photo uses a bone-in pork chop. Feel free to use that if you desire; use one per serving.

• Culinary Secret: If making French fries straight from the potato, it is important to cook them twice. The first time is to cook the potato, which uses 250-degree oil. The second time is to brown them, at 350 degrees. The fries you buy in the store are already cooked once.

— Tomm Johnson, Culinary Secrets with Chef Tomm