Over the weekend I had spaetzle at a German restaurant, and it was
fabulous. It was served with a sauerbraten, so the "sauce" on it was
merely drippings from the roast.

I bought some spaetzle to make at home, but don't know what to use to
top it (as a stand-alone side dish). Any suggestions?

try browned butter with bread crumbs


Di

wrote:

> Over the weekend I had spaetzle at a German restaurant, and it was
> fabulous. It was served with a sauerbraten, so the "sauce" on it was
> merely drippings from the roast.
>
> I bought some spaetzle to make at home, but don't know what to use to
> top it (as a stand-alone side dish). Any suggestions?

If you had spaetzle and sauerbraten the sauce was probably the gravy from
the sauerbraten. Spaetzle can also be heated up in a pan with butter,
butter and fried onions or bits of bacon or ham.

Spaetzle is quite easy to make. The batter has the same basic ingredients
as Yorkshire pudding, but less liquid. You can get a special spaetzle
baker that is just a flat piece of metal with some holes in it and a
little hopper affair that slides back and forth. You could use just
about anything that you get short pieces extruded through the holes and
chopped off. Alternately, you can do it the old fashioned way which is to
just use a knife to slice the dough finely and let the pieces drop into
boiling water.

When I make Spaetzle I use the whole recipe (jut the two of us here now)
eat some right away and stick the rest in the fridge to be heated up in
butter and onions.

In article . com>,
wrote:

> Over the weekend I had spaetzle at a German restaurant, and it was
> fabulous. It was served with a sauerbraten, so the "sauce" on it was
> merely drippings from the roast.
>
> I bought some spaetzle to make at home, but don't know what to use to
> top it (as a stand-alone side dish). Any suggestions?

If what you bought was a box of little hard, dried lumps that you boil
(like dried pasta), you'd just as well to tear up the cardboard box and
use it too; those things (IMHO) are not worth eating.

Make them fresh. You don't need a special tool, either. I just pile some
batter on the back of a big-hole grater and smush the stuff through the
holes with a rubber spatula. Cook small batches and scoop them into a
big bowl with some butter to keep them from sticking.

While you're making them, sizzle up some good black forest ham cut into
little cubes. As soon as the spaetzle are done, turn up the heat and
dump the spaetzle in with the ham. Cook and toss at high heat until the
spaetzle begin to take on a little color. Then throw on some grated
fontina or other similar cheese. Continue to heat until the cheese is
melted, or a bit more to crisp up some of the cheese bits.

Isaac

Isaac Wingfield > wrote in news:isw-EFB88D.21084207122004
@netnews.comcast.net:

> In article . com>,
> wrote:
>
>> Over the weekend I had spaetzle at a German restaurant, and it was
>> fabulous. It was served with a sauerbraten, so the "sauce" on it was
>> merely drippings from the roast.
>>
>> I bought some spaetzle to make at home, but don't know what to use to
>> top it (as a stand-alone side dish). Any suggestions?
>
> If what you bought was a box of little hard, dried lumps that you boil
> (like dried pasta), you'd just as well to tear up the cardboard box and
> use it too; those things (IMHO) are not worth eating.

Now that's kinda harsh, isn't it? I've made my own spaetzle for years, but
maybe some folks aren't quite ready to attempt it. Yeah, I know it's not
difficult.

> Make them fresh. You don't need a special tool, either. I just pile some
> batter on the back of a big-hole grater and smush the stuff through the
> holes with a rubber spatula. Cook small batches and scoop them into a
> big bowl with some butter to keep them from sticking.
>
> While you're making them, sizzle up some good black forest ham cut into
> little cubes. As soon as the spaetzle are done, turn up the heat and
> dump the spaetzle in with the ham. Cook and toss at high heat until the
> spaetzle begin to take on a little color. Then throw on some grated
> fontina or other similar cheese. Continue to heat until the cheese is
> melted, or a bit more to crisp up some of the cheese bits.

I like to lightly butter them to keep from sticking together, then serve
with a paprikash style gravy. I also like to serve them tossed together
with fried cabbage and bacon.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

"what you bought was a box of little hard, dried lumps that you boil
(like dried pasta), you'd just as well to tear up the cardboard box and

use it too; those things (IMHO) are not worth eating."

Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Thanks for the suggestions...I've actually made gnocchi before (and
this doesn't sound that different) so I think I'll just have to try
making them myself if the store-bought ones are really that vile.

Isaac Wingfield wrote:

> Make them fresh. You don't need a special tool, either. I just pile some
> batter on the back of a big-hole grater and smush the stuff through the
> holes with a rubber spatula. Cook small batches and scoop them into a
> big bowl with some butter to keep them from sticking.

My spaetzle maker was pretty cheap, and it is so easy to use. I just dump
the batter into the little box hopper and slide it back and forth directly
over the boiling water.

> While you're making them, sizzle up some good black forest ham cut into
> little cubes. As soon as the spaetzle are done, turn up the heat and
> dump the spaetzle in with the ham. Cook and toss at high heat until the
> spaetzle begin to take on a little color. Then throw on some grated
> fontina or other similar cheese. Continue to heat until the cheese is
> melted, or a bit more to crisp up some of the cheese bits.

I have never understood why this dish is not a heck of a lot more popular.
Everyone I know who has ever tried it has loved it. It's cheap and easy to
make, and it's very versatile. What more could you ask for?