Schweizer

Älplermagroni

Dice a few potatoes in ~1cm cubes and an onion; boil in a minimal amount of broth and/or saltwater for about 5 mins.  Add noodles and cook until al dente.  Drain excess water if necessary and add to Auflaufform.  Mix with ~150ml or 2/3 cup milk or cream and 2 to 3 cups grated Gruyère or other würziges Bergkäse.  Can also add a diced apple to the mix.  Bake at 180* for 10-15 mins. until cheese melted and slightly browned.  Serve with applesauce.

Traditionally, this was an easy, one-pot dish with the broth/saltwater amount measured to be near completely absorbed; the cream and cheese then added to the potato & pasta pot.  Garnished with roasted onions and served with applesauce.

Some current, Swiss recipes call for onions to be browned in butter before adding cream & cheese to the Pfanne.  Then this sauce is poured over the noodles & potatoes and baked.  This version, however, requires more dishes so I composed the above recipe to minimize cleanup and overall effort. 

Could also skip baking in my recipe and cook it completely in one pot as originally prepared by the alpine herders.  I believe, however, that boiling the onions with the noodles & potatoes is not only easier, but also allows the onion flavor to penetrate noodles & potatoes.

Käsefondue

Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it inside the fondue pot, then dice and put it in the pot as the pot is heating up to medium/medium-high on stove.  Add ~1 cup white wine; let it simmer, but not boil.  Gradually add ~5 cups of cheese and a couple tablespoons of flour (or 1 Tbsp. cornstarch), constantly stirring.  Adjust flour and wine accordingly to get that perfect fondue consistency.  Classic cheese combo is Gruyère, Emmentaler and Appenzeller; any sharp cheese is delicious.  Emmentaler or a similarly mild cheese acts as a filler cheese since it's less expensive than other aged cheeses and contributes to the silky consistency.

Rösti

Heat the Pfanne with oil on medium-high heat.  Grate some festkochende Kartoffeln.  Squeeze out water (optional).  Sprinkle some salt & onion powder or add fresh chopped onion.  Generously pile the shredded potatoes into the Pfanne (will shrink as it cooks), pat down to condense and form round shape.  Cover and cook for 15 min.  Slide rösti onto plate, use a second plate to flip, add another glug of oil to Pfanne, return rösti to Pfanne, and cook another 15 min. on reverse side.

Engadiner Nußtorte

Very similar to the walnut pie I make for the holidays, but with a more caramely filing and covered with another layer of pie crust. Whereas the walnut pie filling is primarily butter and brown sugar, the Engadiner version is sugar, water and cream.

Combine 1 cup sugar with 3 Tbsp. water in a pot and place on medium heat until lightly brown caramelized. Add 200 ml (~0.87 cups) cream and simmer over medium heat for 12-15 mins. Then mix in 3 Tbsp. honey and 3 cups of walnuts. Let cool slightly before pouring onto crust. As described, the classic Engadiner is then covered with more pie dough and baked at 200* for ~30 mins.