I’ve been travelling around Western Europe a lot, and I have been lucky enough to try some traditional foods. It can be easy while travelling around busy tourist centers of Europe to only eat döner kebab or a cone of french fries or even just a bag of chips on the way to see the next great sight, but I do sometimes get the chance to research ahead of time and find some places with an air of authenticity. If you are able to find a restaurant in Germany with schupfnudeln on the menu, chances are they are the real deal.
Schupfnudeln can actually be eaten in a sweet or savory context. I’ve had them covered in sour cherries and some kind of yogurt-skyr-sour cream deliciousness, covered in butter and crispy bacon lardons, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, served plain alongside saurkraut, and even sprinkled with cocoa powder and drizzled with chocolate sauce with whipped cream on top. My favorite version is the one I’ve recreated and pictured here - seared in sage-infused butter and then topped with crispy sage leaves, served with apple cider-braised red cabbage.
This is really just the perfect blend of savory flavors. The schupfnudeln themselves are deeply earthy from the potatoes, but also from the addition of a surprisingly huge yet balanced amount of nutmeg. The sage almost acts like some kind of floral bacon in its crispy herby saltiness. Alone, the schupfnudeln might be a little too rich, because they do get quite greasy from the butter (I actually pour all of the extra cooking butter on top, so that might explain that), but paired with the sweet and sour astringency of the apple cider in the cabbage, the dish as a whole is very enjoyable, flavor-wise. It’s also a journey in textures. The schupfnudeln are crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. With the slight crunch from the cabbage, and the light crackling of sage leaves, you really couldn’t ask for anything better.
Butter Count: at least 16 Tbsp
INGREDIENTS:
For the Schupfnudeln:
2 Large Russet Potatoes
2 eggs
~2 cups flour
1 whole nutmeg, grated
~20 sage leaves
4 Tbsp butter, plus more for frying
For the Cabbage:
2 Tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced into halfmoons
1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup hard apple cider (made from green apples)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
black pepper and additional salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the potatoes into a pot and add enough water to cover, Add salt to the water to your preference. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes until they’re tender, about 25 minutes.
NOTE: Check the doneness frequently because the schupfnudeln will be gummy if the potatoes overcook.
Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and allow them to cool slightly until they are easily handled. Peel the potatoes and place the flesh in a large bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to mash them down until there are no lumps.
Add the eggs and flour. Add the nutmeg, starting with about half. Stir everything together so that it is a uniform mixture, and then taste a small bit. If it needs more nutmeg, add more. I usually use the full grated nutmeg, but some nutmeg can be stronger than others, so I err on the side of caution if it’s your first time making this.
Take about a quarter of the dough and roll it into a rope about 1 inch thick on a floured surface, adding more flour if it starts to stick. Cover the rest of the dough and place it in the refrigerator (this will make it easier to handle later).
Cut the rope into ~1-inch segments. The width really doesn’t matter; just make it to your preference (in other words, you can make a thousand tiny schupfnudeln or a few large ones or somewhere in between).
Shape the segments into football shapes, tapering the ends and leaving the centers fat, and place them on a floured baking sheet. If the dough starts to stick to your hands, it’s better to wet your hands with cold water than add more flour.
Repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining dough.
Get started on the cabbage while the schupfnudeln rest slightly. Add the butter and onion to a large pan. Cook over medium-high heat until the onion begins to brown. Add the apples and toss to coat.
Add the cabbage, hard apple cider, apple juice, sugar, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the cabbage is completely tender. Add additional hard apple cider if it starts to try out.
NOTE: Stir often (I use tongs to kind of redistribute the cabbage in the pan so it doesn’t fly out) to make sure that the less cooked bits of cabbage get transferred to the bottom of the pan frequently. Otherwise the bottom cabbage will overcook and burn while the top cabbage will remain super crunchy and not very flavorful.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Add about 10 schupfnudeln to the pot at a time, and let them cook about 5 minutes until they rise to the top. I like to let mine continue cooking about 1 minute after they have risen because I leave them quite fat in the center. Transfer the cooked schupfnudeln to an oiled plate using a slotted spoon, draining them well over the pot first. Repeat this step with the remaining schupfnudeln.
Heat a heavy pan over medium heat. Add 4 Tbsp butter. When it is melted, add the sage leaves in an even layer. Cook each leaf about 5 or 10 seconds on each side until they are slightly crispy. Transfer them to a paper towel, where they will continue to crisp up. If they are not crispy enough in the end, just repeat this step before serving.
Add about 2 more Tbsp butter to the pan and add a batch of schupfnudeln in an even layer. When the bottoms begin to brown, flip the schupfnudeln and cook on the other side. Repeat this process, adding more butter as necessary (to prevent it browning and smoking) until the schupfnudeln are browned to your liking on both sides. Transfer the browned schupfnudeln to a serving dish. Repeat this step with all remaining boiled schupfnudeln.
Top the browned schupfnudeln with the crispy sage leaves and the cooking butter in the serving dish.
At this point the cabbage should be fully cooked. Season it with salt and pepper to taste (you might need to add quite a bit of both if you prefer your cabbage more savory). Serve it along side the schupfnudeln.