Spaetzle

Spaetzle has been one of my wish list items for a long time now. I've raved about Hollerbach's Willow Tree Restaurant, a local favorite that serves up some amazing German food. Because I enjoy schnitzel with spaetzle so much, it became a more intimidating dish for me. When you respect something, trying to recreate can be more challenging, as the last thing you want to do is ruin a dish you love.

I recently made Chicken Schnitzel again, and decided to finally attempt the spaetzle. Though I've seen the pre-packaged, dried variety, I highly doubt it can compare to freshly made spaetzle.

The thing about this though, and I know I've said this about many a recipe, is that it's not all that hard at all. The only tool I needed was a potato ricer, which I happened to already have. You basically just mix a few ingredients and boil the dumplings in boiling water.

I made a batter with flour, egg, salt, and milk in a medium-sized bowl. It was a fairly thin batter, but it makes sense given the next steps.

After getting a pot of boiling water going, I spooned some of the batter into the potato ricer and then pressed it gently over the boiling water, allowing small clumps of the batter to drop into the water.

Because they started to cook in the water, the pieces stayed separated for the most part. I used about half of the batter at first to avoid one giant clump of boiled dough, letting them cook about 7 minutes, stirring a few times during the process.

I think it's best to wipe down the outside of the ricer in-between batches, as having some on the outside did result in a couple of clumps that I simply cut apart after cooking.

Served alongside the schnitzel and with some rahm gravy, the spaetzle made the perfect accompaniment. The texture was spot on, and I couldn't believe the time I wasted wondering if I could knock this thing out. Another conquered dish!

Spaetzle Recipe

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/3 cup milk

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

In a large pot, boil water, the add 1 teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, add eggs and milk and whisk together. Add in the flour and remaining salt, then mix until well combined. Spoon anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of the mixture into a potato ricer. Hold the ricer over the boiling water and gently press the handle down, forcing some of the batter through the holes and into the boiling water. If large clumps come out, press more slowly, moving the ricer gently from side to side to shake the batter off the bottom. Allow the spaetzle to cook for about 7 minutes, then use a large straining spoon to spoon them out of the water. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with melted butter or gravy.

adapted from homemade german spaetzle