Green Beans with Spaetzle
For Easter this year I decided to do some Lamb Chops and was wanting for a side dish. A casserole sounded good and of course a traditional green bean casserole sounded good. But I didn’t think it wood pair up with the Lamb real well. Since I’ve been making a lot of spaetzle lately, a combination of green beans with spaetzle sounded appealing. The sauce took a bit of thought. Some  of the Bavarian style recipes using beer and brown sugar didn’t exactly appeal to me either. I kind of wanted something a bit tangy and lighter to finish the dish so I decided to use a sauce for German potato salad. Had all the elements I was looking for. Bacon, onion, vinegar and sugar. Alas, I was out of Dijon mustard, so I did a substitute which worked out well. The result was a hearty yet lighter side dish for the Lamb. Tangy enough for some extra flavor but not quite as overpowering as German potato salad can be. And the best part, it’s all made on the stove top so no preheating the oven and baking.
Green Beans with Spaetzle
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp water
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar.
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 ea Eggs
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 pound bacon diced
- 1 large lred onion diced
- 3/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup canola oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 qts boiling water
- 1 tsp Salt to taste
- 24 oz Frozen Green Beans
Instructions
Dijon Substitute
- Combine Dry Mustard, Water, Wine vinegar, Mayo, and sugar. Set aside.
Spaetzle
- Combine flour, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Whisk mixture thoroughly.
- Whisk eggs and milk, the add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly to make a batter. Set aside.
Sauce
- Heat a large pan on medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook until crisp.
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the red onion to the rendered bacon fat and cook until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Carefully add the vinegar and mustard and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Whisk in the oil and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat, cover, and keep warm.
Finishing
- Bring 4 Qts. water to boil in a large Dutch Oven.
- Add green beans and cook till just tender.
- Transfer spaetzle batter to cold lid. Place over beans and use scraper to force batter into water.
- Cook for 5 minutes, drain and let cool.
- Add a pinch of flour to the warm sauce and stir to thicken.
- Return beans and spaetzle to Dutch Oven.
- Stir in dressing and mix well. Crumble reserve bacon on top. Keep warm till ready to serve.