You’ve probably noticed it’s German/Austrian cooking week here at Awesome Toast. It’s my favorite cuisine, and definetly my favorite to cook. Another favorite recipe of mine is German potato salad. It’s very different from American potato salad, with a sweet vinegar type glaze and is typically served warm. Here’s my recipe:

The Stuff:

• 3 cups peeled potatoes, sliced. I prefer Yukon Gold or Red potatoes.
• 4 tbsp of butter OR 4 strips of bacon (see below)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup white vinegar (just a little less than that, actually)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Making it Happen:

Place your sliced potatoes into a pot, and fill it with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.

While that’s going, melt the butter in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. (For the less healthy but even tastier version, fry your bacon, then remove it and use the remaining bacon grease. Chop the bacon up and add it in later.)

Add your onion and garlic to the butter or grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Then add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. If you used bacon, add that now. Reduce heat and stir occasionally for about 1-2 minutes. The starch from the potatoes will cause the sauce to thicken into a glaze. Serve warm and enjoy!

Photo by Oxfordian Kissuth.

Käsespätzle (or homemade egg noodles with cheese) is one of my all-time favorite Austrian/German recipes, and one of my favorites to make. Here’s my recipe!

You’ll want to start the caramelized onion topping first, as it takes the longest.

Caramelized Onions

• 1 tbsp butter (not margarine)
• 2 Onions (preferably sweet like Walla Walla, but others work fine too)
• 1/4 tsp salt

Melt butter in skillet over med-high heat. Stir in sliced onions until they’re covered, then cook for 10 minutes. Stir every 3 mins or so.

Then sprinkle the salt over them (and a tsp of brown sugar if you have tangier onions) and reduce heat to med-low. Cook for 30-40 minutes until they are golden brown and a little crispy looking.

Spaetzle

While the onions are going, grab a large bowl and this stuff:

• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup milk
• At least 2 cups of your favorite cheese(s), grated

Start a pot of water boiling. I use an average-sized sauce pot filled just over 3/4 full, and with a little salt. Add a little butter or oil to the water (to keep the noodles from sticking together)

Beat the eggs soundly, then add the milk, then add all the remaining ingredients except the cheese. Mix the batter well. It will be thick. Set your spätzle hobel or a colander on top of the pot, and scrape about 1/4 of the batter in. Spread the batter across the hobel or colander with a spatula so it falls out the bottom in little bits. When the bits rise to the top, they’re done. It won’t take long. Scoop them out into a bowl or casserole dish with a slotted spoon and repeat until your batter is gone.

Once your spätzle are done, dial your oven to 350°, then layer the spätzle in a casserole dish with your cheese. I usually do 2-4 layers, ending with cheese on top. My favorite spätzle cheeses are Gouda, Appenzeller, and Gruyère, but you can get excellent results with Cheddar and Colby Jack as well.

Bake the spätzle for about 15 minutes. The point is simply to get the cheese and noddles melted together and make the top a little toasty. You can bake it longer for a crispier top if you’d like. When it’s done, serve with the caramelized onions on top.

Bon Appétit! Or as the Austrians say: Mahlzeit!

Image from Foolforfood.de