Baked Maccaroni & Cheese

I realized that I never have posted about one of my all-time favorite recipes on the site! Thankfully, my father asked me to make it for his birthday dinner tonight so I have a reason to pass it on here. This recipe is from Alton Brown, one of my all-time favorite chefs/science nerds/food network stars. I have made this at least 10 times and while its a little bit of work compared to boxed mac & cheese, I promise you it is worth it!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon powdered mustard
• 3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 large egg
• 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Fresh black pepper

Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat.

Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

My next post will be from my new apartment in DC!!! There won't be internet for a little while, so it may be a week or so, but I promise I'll be back soon! Thanks!

-Eric