Is That Really Enough?

It’s a comfort food. It’s a side dish for traditional barbeque. It’s a kids meal. It’s so many things and an all american dish with the earliest versions going back to colonial times. This “grown up” version uses Gruyer and Fontina for the cheese sauce instead of the more traditional cheddar but you can certainly change up the ingredients to suit your needs and tastes. The basic method is the same no matter what cheese you use.

Ingredients

Mound o Cheese

• 8 oz gruyère – shredded
• 8 oz fontina – shredded
• 4 oz cheddar – shredded and kept separate
• 1 pound macaroni elbows
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 whole egg – beaten
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

Directions

Preheat

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Pasta Bathing

Boil pasta for 5-7 minutes. You want to make sure and under cook the pasta.

Butta

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot.

Roux

Add flour into and whisk to combine. Cook for 5 minutes while whisking continually. Make sure to whisk continually so as not to burn the roux. If you burn the roux you need to start over.

Add the Moo

Add the milk and mustard powder. Stir to combine and continue to cook for 5 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Reduce heat to low.

Beat Down

Beat egg in a medium heat proof bowl. Yeah yeah, the bowl I’m using isn’t heat proof.

Temper the Egg

Add 1/4 cup of the sauce into the beaten egg stirring constantly to temper the egg, bringing the egg up to temperature while making sure you don’t scramble the egg.

Add Back In

Add the tempered egg into the sauce and stir.

Start Adding Cheese

Add the gruyère and fontina and stir until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth.

In Goes Worcestershire

Add in the Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and nutmeg.

Smooth and Tasty

Stir until smooth. Taste and reseason as necessary.

In Goes the Mac

Add your undercooked macaroni. Stir to combine and add to a greased 9×13 baking pan.

Cheesy Baked Goodness

Cover with reserved cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until top is melted and bubbling.

Is That Really Enough?

Serve, a plate or a bowl is your choice. I know this wasn’t enough for me but the crispy edges were amazing.