Cheese Spaetzle

We had our 2nd annual Blocktoberfest a few weeks ago and I wanted to bring something German.  I found this recipe and thought I'd give it a try.  It was super easy and surprisingly good.  I know it's not good for you but at least it tasted good with the other food!  I'm already signing up to bring this one to Blocktoberfest 3!

Ingredients:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c plus 1 tablespoon milk
1/4 c small curd cottage cheese
Kosher Salt & Freshly ground pepper
1 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c creme fraiche
1-1/2 tbsp snipped chives

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk, cottage cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Stir in the flour until a smooth, thick, sticky batter forms.
Spoon the batter into a colander with 1/4-inch holes. Set or hold the colander 1 inch above the boiling water and scrape the batter through the holes, using a rubber spatula. Stir the spaetzle once or twice to separate them. As soon as they rise to the surface, use a slotted spoon to transfer the spaetzle to a clean colander and drain well.
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add the boiled spaetzle and cook them over moderately high heat, stirring and shaking the skillet occasionally, until the spaetzle are browned and crisp in spots, about 5 minutes. Add the creme fraiche and snipped chives, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring, until the sauce is creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Season the spaetzle with salt and pepper and serve right away.

MAKE AHEAD The boiled cheese spaetzle can be covered in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours before sautéing.

German Fried Potatoes & Onions

The neighbors hosted a "Blocktoberfest" (thanks Lex for the awesome name!) and everyone brought something.  I wasn't able to attend the original night but thankfully there was plenty of left over so they did it the next night too!  I found this recipe for German Fried Potatoes and they looked good but still easy to make.  I am not sure what makes them German but other people I have shared the recipe with have informed me that this type of potato dish can be found in many German restaurants.  They aren't the healthiest but they are pretty good!  I microwaved the whole potatoes for about 3 minutes each and used my mandolin to slice which helped to speed up the prep process.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 russet potatoes, sliced thin
2 medium onions, sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil until butter is melted.  Add potatoes

Cook potatoes, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.  The potatoes should be a crispy brown with some white spots (since the potatoes will overlap a little)

Once potatoes are done, remove and put on a plate with paper towels (to absorb some of the grease)

In the hot skillet, brown the onion for about 5 minutes

Add the potatoes back in, season with salt & pepper and stir to combine.