Beef Roulade with Homemade Spaetzle

This is my version of the German Rouladen - Meat rolls filled with bacon, onions and pickles.

After we had this for dinner, P brought some to work for lunch the next day. He loved it so much that when he came home that evening, again - he ate the rest of the remaining meat rolls for dinner!

Worried about gaining weight, he had one funny request: "Can you make this only once every two months?"

Ingredients:

*10 flank steak fillets, each about 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide
*German mustard (Thomy Delikatess-Senf mittelscharf), or any Dijon stone ground mustard
*10 thick sliced bacon (I used Schaller & Weber's smoked ones)
*1 large onion, minced
*1 bottle (10 oz) Heinz sweet relish (you'll need only approx. 1/4 of this)
*2 tablespoons butter
*1 cube beef bouillon
*1 whole dill (Kosher) pickle, slice lenghtwise into 1/3 inch thick strips
*2 tablespoons flour
*1 tablespoon onion powder
*1 tablespoon ground paprika
*salt and pepper to taste

Season both sides of the fillets with onion powder, ground paprika, pepper, and salt. Spread a thin film of mustard on one side of each fillet. Spread a thin layer of sweet relish over the fillet, then lightly sprinkle some minced onion all over it. Place a strip of bacon and a slice of dill pickle on each fillet and form into a roll. Use string or toothpick to hold the roll together.

Heat oven to 350' degrees.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Place the rolls in the butter and saute until brown, then transfer them to a baking pan. Set aside. In the same skillet, saute any remaining minced onion until wilted. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of water. Add the beef bouillon cube. Stir until dissolved. Pour into the baking pan with meat rolls. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Add flour to thicken the sauce. Cook for an additional 30 min - 1 hour, until tender and bubbly.

Cut the strings off and serve with spaetzle and steamed vegetables.

Spaetzle
(Recipe from Tyler Florence)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. minced fresh chives

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring 3 quarts of slated water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving.