Käsespätzle with Slow-Caramelised Onions and Emmental

⏱ 70 min · Serves 4

Germany's answer to mac and cheese: soft, eggy spätzle tumbled with molten Emmental and a heap of dark, sweet onions, then blitzed under the grill until the top blisters. Deeply comforting and worth every minute of stirring those onions.

Per serving: 865 kcal · 38.0g protein · 88.0g carbs · 40.0g fat

Ingredients

• 3 large onions (about 500g), halved and thinly sliced
• 30g butter, plus 20g for finishing
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 400g plain flour
• 4 large eggs
• 200ml sparkling water (or milk)
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more for the pasta water
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 250g Emmental, coarsely grated
• 50g mature Gruyère or Bergkäse, grated (optional, for depth)
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Melt 30g butter with the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a good pinch of salt, cover and sweat for 10 minutes.
2. Uncover, stir in the sugar and cook gently for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until deep golden brown and jammy. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, make the batter: whisk the flour, eggs, sparkling water, 1 tsp salt and nutmeg in a bowl until you have a thick, glossy batter that falls slowly off the spoon. Beat hard for 2 minutes to develop the eggs, then rest 15 minutes.
4. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Working in 3 batches, press the batter through a spätzle press or push it through a colander with large holes into the water.
5. When the spätzle bob to the surface (about 1–2 minutes), lift out with a slotted spoon into a colander. Repeat with the remaining batter.
6. Heat the grill to high. Butter a baking dish. Layer a third of the spätzle, a third of the onions and a third of the cheese; repeat twice, finishing with cheese.
7. Dot with the remaining 20g butter and grill for 5–7 minutes, until bubbling and browned at the edges.
8. Scatter with chives and plenty of black pepper, and serve straight from the dish with a sharp green salad.