Ingredients

• Plain flour 400 g
• Eggs, large 4 (200 g)
• Water 150 ml
• Salt 1 tsp (6 g), plus 1 tbsp for the cooking water
• Ground nutmeg 1 pinch
• Emmental and mountain cheese (Bergkaese or Gruyere), grated 250 g
• Onions, thinly sliced 3 medium (400 g)
• Butter 40 g
• Black pepper to taste
• Chives, chopped 2 tbsp (6 g)

Instructions

1. 1

   Beat the flour, eggs, water, 1 tsp of salt and the nutmeg into a thick, sticky batter until it forms bubbles; rest it for 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the onions for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden; heat the oven to 180C.

3. 3

   Bring a large pot of water with 1 tbsp of salt to a boil and press the batter through a spaetzle maker or scrape it off a wet board in thin strips, in 3-4 batches.

4. 4

   When the spaetzle float, boil for 1 minute more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.

5. 5

   Layer the hot spaetzle and the cheese in a warm baking dish, seasoning each layer with pepper, finishing with cheese.

6. 6

   Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted, then top with the fried onions and chives and serve.