Recipe: Macaroni & Cheese

JJ from Nelson’s Barnyard Buffet shares his take on a Southern classic side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb., Large Macaroni
• 1 Stick, Butter
• 1/2 cup, All-Purpose Flour
• 1 quart (4 cups), Milk
• 4 teaspoons, Salt
• (Heaping) 1/4 teaspoon, White Pepper
• 3 cups, shredded Cheddar
• 3 cups, shredded Monterey Jack
• 2 cups, shredded Parmesan
• 2 cups of extra cheese set aside for topping (cheddar or cheddar-jack blend)

STEPS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Shred your cheese if you bought block cheese (highly recommended). For your sauce, you’ll need 3 cups of cheddar, 3 cups of Monterey Jack, and 2 cups of Parmesan. You’ll also need 2-3 cups of cheddar (or cheddar-jack blend) to top your dish.

2. Cook macaroni according to box instructions. I generally put 1 tablespoon of salt in my pasta water. Never oil or butter (this will prevent the cheese from sticking to the pasta). Strain pasta and shock with cold water to stop cooking. Spray your baking dish with pan spray, then transfer cooked pasta to dish.

3. In a small pot, melt a stick of butter on low heat. Measure out 1/2 cup of Flour precisely, then add it to the butter. Increase heat to medium. Set a 5 minute timer, and stir constantly throughout.

4. Add 1 quart of Milk when the timer expires. Increase heat to high. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens (almost at the boiling point). Remove the pot from heat as soon as it thickens. You will know it’s ready when the sauce pushes back as you stir. Your whisk will start to make “legs” in the sauce, and when you drizzle the sauce, you will see it sticks to the spoon. If your sauce is TOO thick, just add a splash of extra milk and stir it in to make the sauce creamier.

5. Add 4 teaspoons of salt and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of White Pepper. Add your 8 cups of cheese. Mix it until the cheese melts all the way and turns into a creamy sauce.

6. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Mix the pasta and sauce as best you can (a rubber spatula works well). Flatten the mixture out. Top with 2 cups of shredded cheese. Wrap with film wrap, then aluminum foil.

7 (a) If you are cooking a day or more ahead of time…

You can wrap your dish in film wrap, then aluminum foil. Afterwards, peel back one corner of the film/foil (to let your dish vent) and store it in the refrigerator overnight. When it’s time to serve, reseal the corner you peeled back and bake on 350 for 30 minutes. It’s wise to place a pan under your dish in case the sauce bubbles over. Remove the foil and brown the cheese topping for up to 10 minutes after the 30-minute bake. As an alternative, you can also (carefully) use the broiler. Once baking is complete, allow the dish to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

7 (b) If you want to serve your dish right away…

You can put it in the oven right after you top it with shredded cheese. You’ll want to bake it (uncovered) until the topping is nice and brown. Usually 20 minutes is the sweet spot for me. As an alternative, you can also (carefully) use the broiler. You’re just browning the top- the sauce and pasta are already cooked. Once baking is complete, allow the dish to set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

ABOUT:

www.barnyardbuffet.com

251-679-1461