Ingredients
100 grams per person of Spätzle (see “How to Make Spätzle” tutorial)
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
2 cups grated ementhaller or gruyere cheese
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
parsley to garnish
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease ovensafe form or pan with butter (I use mini-cast iron skillets). Set aside.
In a separate saucepan, place 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over high heat. Add onions. Cook over high heat until the onions start to brown. Stir frequently. Reduce heat. Add salt. Cook onions until soft and golden brown, an additional 20 minutes. Stir frequently and scrape the juices off the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Using the same saucepan, return to the heat and add remaining olive oil and a tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the spaetzle and heat through over moderate heat. It is ok if they brown a little. Set aside.
To make the cheese sauce, first make a roux by melting remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan. Gradually sprinkle the flour and immediately begin stirring. Do not let the butter/flour burn so stir constantly until a paste forms. This will happen very quickly. Slowly add the milk and continue stirring until you have a white creamy sauce. If the mixture gets too thick, add additional milk. Add 1 cup of the grated cheese, salt and pepper and nutmeg, if using.
Mix the onions, the spatzle and the cheese sauce together and fill into the ovensafe form. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and starts to brown on the top, approximately 15-20 minutes.