Älplermagronen

Step 1: Make the apple sauce first: put 1 ⅓ lb cooking apples, ¼ cup water, 2 tbsp sugar, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tsp lemon juice in a small pan, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, until the apple collapses when pressed. Mash roughly or leave chunky, and keep warm.

Step 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat, add 3 onions and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 20–25 minutes. Lower the heat if they catch; you want soft, sweet, deep golden-brown onions, not crisp black edges.

Step 3: While the onions cook, bring a large pan of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt. Add 14 oz floury potatoes and boil for 6 minutes.

Step 4: Add 10 ½ oz macaroni or short tube pasta to the same pan and cook for the time on the packet, until the pasta is just al dente and the potatoes are tender. Scoop out a mugful of the cooking water, then drain.

Step 5: Warm ¾ cup single cream and ½ cup milk in the empty pan over a low heat. Tip back the pasta and potatoes and stir in 7 oz Appenzeller or mountain cheese, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and ½ tsp black pepper until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce, about 2 minutes. Loosen with a splash of cooking water if it tightens. Don't boil it, or the cheese turns grainy.

Step 6: Spoon into warm bowls, pile the golden onions on top and serve the apple sauce alongside, warm or cool.