Kaese Spaetzle

Last week I made paprika chicken and spaetzle.  You can find the recipe HERE.

I made double the amount of spaetzle - it freezes really well (just toss them in a little oil after they're cooked, to stop them sticking, then freeze them in snaplock bags.

Because I made plenty, I tucked some away, designated for my version of Kaese Spaetzle, a German dish which is a little like an awesome twist on macaroni and cheese.

To make it (and if you like stodgy comfort food, I thoroughly recommend giving this a go):

Fry a chopped onion and a few rashers of chopped bacon in a little butter, until browned and starting to crisp:

Add a couple of cups of cooked spaetzle, and pan fry until they are also starting to crisp a little at the edges:

Meanwhile, mix together a cup of grated cheese (I used gruyere, but jarlsberg or comte or even cheddar would be fine), as well as a 1/4 cup of grated parmesan, with two eggs.  Beat together:

Remove the spaetzle from the heat, add the cheese mixture, and stir to combine:

Pile the lot into a baking dish, top with a little extra cheese, and bake for around 20 minutes at 180 degrees, or until lightly browned on the top:

It ain't a pretty dish.  But it is really, really good, and - paired with something sensible like steamed broccoli - makes a jolly good weeknight dinner.