COOK | HOMEROOM'S MAC & CHEESE

Someone somewhere decided that Mac & Cheese and BBQ go together. I don't know who or where but I'm glad they did. Because now, whenever my dad decides to BBQ I have an excuse to make Mac & Cheese (not that you should ever need an excuse, but since my family's go-to carb is white rice, I do.) I've tried a bunch of recipes in the past but none of them compares to this.

To make it even better, I added one whole package of bacon, naturally. Baking the bacon at high heat in the oven avoids me splattering hot oil on my arms and other potential dangers that come with me frying bacon on the stove-top. This Mac & Cheese is adapted from a recipe I found for Homeroom's Classic Mac + Cheese. I've never been, but after making this recipe - I know I need to go soon. This Mac & Cheese is creamy, extra cheesy, with crispy panko on top and bacon in every bite!

Recipe adapted from Homeroom 

INGREDIENTS

For the béchamel:

• 4 cups (1 quart) whole milk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt

To assemble:

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 8 ounces shredded 2-year aged sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)
• 3 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 1 cup)
• 10 oz of bacon (about 8-10 strips), baked and crumbed 
• 2/3 cup panko (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

For the béchamel:

1. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just comes to a simmer, then turn off the heat and set aside.
2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly until the mixture turns light brown in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. While whisking constantly, slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture until evenly combined and smooth. (It will get very thick when you first add the milk, then thin out.)
4. Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and while whisking constantly, cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salt, taste, and add the remaining salt as desired. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble:

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until it’s almost al dente (just on the edge of being underdone), then drain and rinse with cold water; set aside. 
2. While the water is boiling I bake the bacon using this method (you can do whatever you like): Crumble up a piece of aluminum foil large enough to line a baking pan. This is so the fats can drain off the bacon as it cooks and pool in the foil instead of cooking the bacon in the oils. Place the bacon on the foil in a single layer and bake it at 400 degrees F for 10 min. Then flip the bacon and bake it for another 8-10 minutes until it is crispy. I remove the bacon onto paper towels and let it cool before chopping into smaller pieces.
3. Place the reserved saucepan of béchamel over medium heat and stir in both cheeses just until melted and smooth. Add the pasta and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through and steaming, about 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a 5-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the panko, and bake until bubbling and brown on top, about 25-30 minutes. If the panko isn't crispy brown yet, turn on the broiler for a couple minutes, keeping your eye on it, and taking it out when it gets golden brown - being careful not to burn the top. 

You can also serve the Mac & Cheese immediately after adding the pasta to the cheese sauce, but I like mine baked because of the crispy top covering of cheese and panko. I ate the leftovers for every meal until it was all gone, and I wasn't complaining one bit. Traci made skillet honey cornbread - so yum!

xoxo, allison