I was working in the test kitchen at Gourmet, on the hunt for an alternative to the usual starches, when I cooked spaetzle for the first time. It struck me right away that this homemade, irregularly shaped German pasta was so delicious and easy to make that I should add it to my home recipe repertoire. Sure enough, spaetzle was a hit at home and quickly became one of Sammy's all-time favorite foods, the once dish -- along with matzo ball soup -- that he invariably requests whenever I'm making a special holiday meal for the four of us at home. (If you have the right gadget, you can have a fragrant, steaming batch of spaetzle about 10 minutes after you put on a pot of water to boil.) But, as with any kind of pasta, spaetzle really requires some gravy or sauce -- or some butter at the least -- to complete it. So if I'm serving it as a side dish, I make sure we have a saucy meat or chicken as the main dish. You can boil it, drain it, toss it with butter and herbs, and serve it. Or you can make it ahead of time, even by as much as a day or two. Just boil and drain it, rinse it, and put it in a resealable plastic bag. When it's time to sit down to dinner, saute it in a hot pan until it's crispy, season it and serve. (Sam loves his spaetzle crispy.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
• Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions