Baked Mac and Cheese beside the Main Plate

Baked Mac and Cheese beside the Main Plate is filed under Sides and built around dried elbows 4 cups, salted butter or unsalted, and all-purpose flour. Plan on 8 cups.

Count on 25 minutes of prep, 15 minutes of cooking, about 40 minutes from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 1 pound dried elbows 4 cups, cooked
• 6 tablespoons salted butter or unsalted
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or unsmoked
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard Dad's secret ingredient
• 4 cups whole milk or 3 cups milk, 1 cup heavy cream – holy decadence
• 6 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 ½ lbs before shredding

How the cooking goes

1. Warm the oven to 375°F. (no fan) Butter a 2.5-liter glass or Pyrex baking dish or casserole dish, or leave it unbuttered. You did and life went on. Casserole dishes also work.
2. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan then add a generous amount of salt. You can taste the water if you want – it should taste salty like the ocean.
3. Put the elbows to the large pot of salted water and stir to distribute and keep from sticking. Boil over a moderate flame until they are al dente or completely cooked. it helps to cook them completely because 15 minutes isn’t a long additional bake time and you don’t want undercooked pasta in the mac and cheese. Drain pasta through a colander or strainer and keep it to one side.
4. Warm butter in a 3-4 quart saucepan. Add flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt (if using unsalted butter), and mustard powder, whisking until the texture looks smooth. Heat it until it boils and boil for 1 min on medium heat, while whisking constantly. Try not to let it brown. If it does, no big deal—just keep going!
5. Slowly add milk a little at a time, whisking constantly until all the milk has been added. It will be loose and liquidy, do not stress.
6. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the roux, stirring often until thickened. It will be thick like cream and will coat the back of a spoon.
7. Take it off the heat and stir in the cheese.
8. Put pepper and paprika, stirring well. Taste and add salt if desired. If you salted your pasta water, this shouldn’t be necessary.
9. Stir in the cooked pasta and pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake the dish uncovered at 375°F until the center is bubbling and the top is deep gold. 15-20 minutes. Can broil the last 3 minutes to get a nice golden top.

After it comes off the heat

Give the plate the rest the method asks for. Cover leftovers and refrigerate them when the dish includes meat, eggs, or dairy.

If you want another plate from Sides, open Cranberry Chutney beside the Main Plate and Thanksgiving Side Dishes for the Home Table.