Herbed Spaetzle Gratin

Nothing says warm comfort food to me like hearty pastas covered in cheese. Its this time of year when  we're all cold and hybernating. Its a great time to justify all those extra calories. The blubber keeps us warm right? I briefly covered spaetzle in a previous post when I made a spaetzle and cheese for Easter supper last year.  Spaetzle is a German mini dumpling thats made quite simply by making a basic batter and straining it into boiling water. Spaetzle meaning little sparrows refers to the delicate little shape the pasta has. Its moist and wonderful and when made at home it can be absolutely stunning. Most often I've found that using a boxed spaetzle is better suited for baking in the oven however, not this time. I figured I'd be adventurous and just go for it. Over the years I've seen plenty of food network renditions of modified spaetzle recipes, honestly I never really thought of making a spaetzle any other way than how I always have. Although I've covered the packaged dumplings in cheese for "mac n cheese" I always was kind of a purist when it came to my homemade spaetzle. Why re-invent the wheel? Why mess with something that is so pure and delicious? Its absolutely perfect just shot in a pan with some butter or... ahem, bacon and parsley? For this supper I was pairing the spaetzle with something extra special... braised short ribs. So to compete with the robust flavor I wanted a little extra zing of flavor, the punch of yum. So I added a few teaspoons of dill and dried basil to my regular batter. I covered the cooked noodles in some cream, lots of cracked black pepper, topped off with cheese and voila! A bigger pants size, but well worth it. 

Herbed Spaetzle Gratin:

This a delicious rendition of the classic pan fried spaetzle. I made it with herbs and robust good quality cheeses. You can make a classic spaetzle by simply omitting the herbs and not baking it. This is a good vegetarian side or main. Its filling and satisfying. 

For the Spaetzle-

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup whole milk

2 eggs

salt, pepper, fresh nutmeg (a healthy pinch)

2 teaspoons dried dill

Bring approximately 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large stock pot. You do not want too much water because these are somewhat delicate. Too much water and your sparrows will drown! (not that I know from experience or anything)

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine until smooth.  Spoon part of the batter into a spaetzle or potato press or  even a colander. I do not have a press I use the back of a spoon and a colander. Squeeze part of the batter into the boiling water. For the colander method you will scoop batter into the colander and using the back of your spoon or scraper, scrape the colander pushing the batter out into the boiling water. Once the noodles float they are finished. Remove from water. 

For traditional spaetzle: Saute in a pan with butter until lightly golden.

Baked Spaetzle:

1/2 cup heavy cream (room temp)

pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper

Cheese:

White cheese slices-

I used jarlsberg you could use white cheddar or provalone.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (or put the broiler on high)

Place spaetzle into a buttered baking dish. Cover with cream, salt and pepper. Spread evenly. Top with cheese and bake until golden brown. 15 minutes for the broiler it will take only a few minutes. Watch it patiently.

Food Network Spaetzle Recipes:

Tyler Florence 

Anne Burrell