How to make Jager Steak and Spaetzle

Hello Lovies, It’s been a while since I have had time to write anything but AD story stuff. I have been craving this dish for months but it is a HUGE labor of love, so I didn’t have chance to make it until a weekend when I could share it with Lefty, One-eye and their families.   I was given this recipe and taught how to make from a German friend, she purchased the spaetzle maker in Germany and brought it back for me to use while she taught me.   You could probably improvise with a holey pizza pan or try to find one at a kitchen store. The  Fondor and Maggi spices we purchased at our local grocery store and only use them for this dish.  I don’t really measure when it comes to the spices, I just kind of shake or pur them in there until i get the desired taste.   Here is what you need.

Porch chops, boneless are best. We sliced a pork roast up in thin slices.

Olive oil and butter for your pan. coat lightly but you want enough to get through several batches of chops if you are feeding a lot  of people.

Paprika, coat each side of your chops and brown them lightly in the pan, once done take them out and set them aside on a plate, you will want the juices for when you return them to the pan.

Fresh Sliced mushrooms, I used about a pound but you can add or decrease to your taste.  After the chops are done dump the shrooms in the pan and get them coated in the oil and spices left over from the chops. I add some Fondor and Maggi to this mixture and cook them down until they get well coated and start to reduce.

Once that is done I scooch them out to the sides of the pan and then add some flour and butter to the pan, about 2-4 tablespoons each depending on how thick I am trying to make my sauce. I use a wisk to work it all together and let the roux mixture cook a bit to get the raw out.

Once that is done I dump either half and half or heavy cream into the pan,  you want enough sauce to cover your chops and shrooms, this time I used the whole large container of half and half, I think it is 4 cups.  Whisk it together until it is all incorporated  bring it to a soft boil and let it go for about 3-5 minutes, then turn it to medium low and return your chops and any juices to the pan.  stir it around a bit to get the sauce in between everything. Move it to a back burner and let is simmer for about an hour.   About an hous is as long as it is going to take you to make the spaetzle anyway.

Spaetzle dough is basically flour, eggs, salt and either milk or water.  It is not an exact science, I like my  dough to start a little runny because it thicken up as you work through your batches and i like it to move easily through the maker.   YOu can add eggs or water or more flour to get the consistency you like. This time I used about 6 cups of flour , 7 eggs, 2 tsp salt, and probably 3 cups of water. I started out adding the first cup, then added it a 1/2 cup at a time till it was  where I wanted it.   While you are making your dough start a very large stock pot boiling on the stove and get a bowl ready to put the cooked spaetzle in.   In a separate large bowl put all your flour in and make a well with your fingers, crack in all your eggs and add in your first bit of water, mix with a spoon adding water etc until it it how you like it.  You do not want it as runny as pancakes, but you don’t want it too thick either.  You really can’t screw it up so don’t stress too much.

Now comes the labor of love, standing over the stock pot dropping in the dough, letting it cook and rise to the top of the pot and then fishing it out. Rinse repeat, repeat , repeat. By the time I am done with this part I am so over it, it isn’t funny but it is so worth it.

Basically you are pushing the dough through the maker and it is dropping into the boiling water, it takes about 3-5 minutes per batch. I do this by setting the maker on top of the pot, pouring about 1/2 cup or so of dough onto the top of the maker and then using a scraper to push it down into the pan.. You want to work quickly and you want to try to get the top of the maker as clean as possible on each batch.   Once you have all the dough through, remove the maker from the top of the pan and set it aside while you wait for them to be done.  Scoop them out with a slotted spoon or other such slotted device and dump the finished spaetzle into a big bowl.  Then put the maker back on, pour more dough on and repeat until all the dough is gone. Stir the whole batch a bit to mix it up, then serve it as abase for your Jager Streak mixture, some crusty bread for sopping up sauce, a salad and some German wine. We had a Riesling last night.

About every other batch or so you will have to scrape off the top of the maker to make sure it stay clean and the holes do not get clogged.  You want to work as fast as possible and be careful of several pit falls.

1. Keep an eye on your boil, as you cook more the water will shrink and it can get tricky.

2. Work fast because the maker is metal is get hot, I take mine off in between batches to cool and so I can see what is going on in the pan.  Don’t forget to keep the back of the pan clean as well. You do NOT want to plug the holes.

3. Do not get distracted  while the dough is on the pan because you can end up sealing all the holes with a thin layer of Spaetzle dough, then your pot will overheat and possibly over boil.  If this happens, it did to me this time,  get as much through as possible, then remove it and scrape it clean. I tried to save any and all dough and cook it but this time I just tossed the mess and moved on.

4. If you have leftovers try not to microwave them, it is a cream sauce and it will separate and get yucky on you. I like to heat up in a pan with a little milk or cream if I have left.

Here are the pics.