Swiss recipe
How to make Alpine herders' macaroni
Älplermagronen
The Swiss Alps, especially central Switzerland
Pasta and diced potatoes cooked together, then mixed with cream and cheese and topped with fried onions. It is traditionally served with apple sauce on the side, a sweet contrast to the rich cheese.
Ingredients
- 300 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
- 300 g short macaroni or penne
- 200 ml single cream
- 150 g Swiss mountain cheese such as Gruyère, grated
- 2 onions, thinly sliced into rings
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt, pepper and a little nutmeg
- Apple sauce, to serve
Method
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the pasta and cook together until both are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and return to the pan.
- Meanwhile fry the onion rings slowly in the butter for about 15 minutes, until soft and golden brown.
- Warm the cream, pour it over the pasta and potatoes, stir in the cheese and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Heat gently for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy, top with the fried onions and serve with apple sauce.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
The name joins 'Älpler', an Alpine herder, and 'Magronen', from the Italian 'maccheroni'. Dried pasta spread in northern Switzerland in the late 19th century, partly through Italian workers building the Gotthard tunnel.
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