German Spaetzle and Cheese is pure German comfort food. Making the spaetzle (which is German for “little sparrows”) is really a lot of fun. Using a spaetzle maker (pictured below) makes the process easy, but you can also use a metal colander, or a potato ricer, too. Spatzle makers are found in many kitchen gadget stores, or online.
Spaetzle is a German egg noodle and is served along side classic German dishes such as Schnitzel with Mushroom Gravy or Bratwurst with Sauerkraut. This recipe is incredible by itself, especially after melting Emmentaler cheese over the spaetzle. Emmentaler is a rich and delicious Swiss cheese available at most specialty food markets (ie, Whole Foods). The Loon was amazed at how delicious this simple dish turned out to be. 135% Loon Approved. Wunderbar!
- 2 heads of garlic
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 eggs, gently beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Emmentaler cheese, grated
- Heat oven to 450 F.
- Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic and brush will the oil.
- Wrap each head of garlic with foil.
- Roast until soft, 1 hour.
- Let cool and squeeze roasted garlic cloves from the their skins into a a bowl and mash with a fork to a paste.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add to the garlic paste.
- Then add the milk, parsley, basil, salt, and eggs; stir until smooth.
- Place the flour in a large bowl and form a well in the center.
- Slowly pour the garlic-milk mixture into the well, and then stir it all together with a fork, until a smooth batter forms.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Set the spaetzle maker (or colander) over the pot and working in batches, scrap the batter through the holes into the water.
- Cook until the dumplings rise to the surface, about 1 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a baking sheet or platter.
- Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add the dumplings and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 6 - 8 minutes.
- Add the dumplings to an oven-proof dish (or skillet) and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Broil on high until cheese melts and just starts to brown, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on it!).
- Garnish with parsley.
- Enjoy!
