The milanesa came to the River Plate with the Italian immigrants of the late nineteenth century, a cousin of the breaded cutlet of Milan, and Uruguay adopted it so completely that it now feels less like a recipe than a reflex. It is a thin slice of beef, usually the lean, tender cut Uruguayans call nalga, soaked in beaten egg with garlic and parsley, pressed into breadcrumbs and fried until it crackles. It turns up in neighborhood bars, on the set lunch menu of every downtown café, in school lunch boxes and between two halves of a roll as a milanesa al pan. Add ham, tomato sauce and melted cheese and it becomes a napolitana, a name that would surprise anyone in Naples.

At home it is most often served with puré, mashed potatoes made soft and rich with hot milk and butter, and a squeeze of lemon over the crust. It is quick, cheap, loved by every generation at the table, and very easy to scale up for a crowd, which makes it the right thing to cook when friends arrive for a race. Bread the cutlets before the session starts and the frying takes about as long as a pit stop window.

The milanesas

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) beef top round
• 3 large eggs
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups (220 g) fine dry breadcrumbs
• about 1 cup (240 ml) sunflower or vegetable oil
• 2 lemons

Method

1. Trim off any fat or gristle around the edges of each slice, then lay the slices one or two at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound them gently from the middle outward with the flat side of the mallet until they are an even 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Make two or three small cuts in the edges so they do not curl in the pan.
2. In one shallow dish, beat the eggs with the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper with a fork. Lay the beef slices in the egg, turning them so every slice is coated, and leave them for 15 minutes.
3. Tip the breadcrumbs into the second dish. Lift one slice from the egg, let the excess drip off, and lay it in the crumbs. Scatter crumbs over the top and press down firmly with your dry hand, then turn and press again. Shake off the loose crumbs and set it on the rack or a tray. Repeat with the rest.
4. Put the tray of breaded cutlets in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes. Start the potatoes now.
5. Pour oil into the frying pan to a depth of about 1/4 inch (6 mm) and set it over medium high heat. Heat until it reaches 350°F (175°C). Without a thermometer, drop in a pinch of crumbs.
6. Lay two cutlets in the oil, placing them away from you so any splash goes the other way. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden underneath, then turn with the tongs and fry 2 minutes more. Move them to the clean rack or paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Fry the rest in batches, letting the oil come back to temperature between batches and fishing out any burnt crumbs.

The puré

Ingredients

• 2 lb (900 g) floury potatoes, such as russet or Maris Piper
• 1 tablespoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
• a pinch ground nutmeg
• to taste fine salt and white or black pepper

Method

1. Put the potato chunks in the large saucepan, cover them with cold water by about 1 inch (2.5 cm) and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat so the water bubbles steadily and cook, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes in the colander, then tip them back into the hot empty pan and set it over low heat for 1 minute, shaking it gently, to steam off the last of the water.
3. Heat the milk and butter in the small saucepan over medium low heat until the butter has melted and the milk is steaming, about 3 minutes. Do not let it boil over.
4. Mash the potatoes with the masher, or press them through the ricer back into the pan, until there are no lumps. Pour in the hot milk and butter a little at a time, beating with the wooden spoon after each addition. Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Keep warm over the lowest heat, covered, while you fry.

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