Happy 100th! Macaroni and Cheese

Well, here it is. Post number 100. I have been thinking long and hard about what I should write about, and I have to say I am a bit nervous. I knew more than a week ago what I wanted to write about, but I vacillated. As I often do. When I write posts for my food blog, I sort of feel like they need to be completely my recipe, or at least that I have changed something. But in reality, there really are not a lot of new recipes. I mean, occasionally someone comes up with something that is really fun, it uses some unique spices and ingredients and it is really fun to make, but is that what you go back to again and again? I find that simple recipes are the ones that I return to. I like those things that I can make with the ingredients on hand, not those that need special ingredients and/or do not seem worth the extra effort.

But, that said, I still enjoy those tantalizing foods that are traditional works of art. Souffles, homemade flour tortillas, cookies, tarts, pies, etc. And macaroni and cheese. I really like real, homemade mac and cheese. Its traditional, its classic, its comfort. It is made with bechamel. It is so easy to make, yet it is so satisfying. It is also very easy to make your own. For this recipe I used aged white cheddar, but you could easily use Gruyere, or yellow cheddar, a mixture of cheeses, whatever you want. Also, bacon, tomatoes, canned chilies, spices, leftover grilled chicken or ground beef turn this into a main course. If you don't have seasoned bread crumbs, used crushed croutons, saltines or ritz crackers.
So, when you are not sure what to make, take some cavatelli or elbow macaroni, make some cheesy sauce and enjoy.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups milk
4 Tablespoons bacon grease or butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 lb grated cheese (sharp cheddar or Gruyere cheese)
1 lb elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons seasoned bread crumbs

Makes 6 servings

Preheat the oven to 400. Butter a 9x13 in baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While you are waiting, make the bechamel.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until small bubbles appear around the edge of the pan, about 5 minutes.  Do not let the milk boil or develop a skin. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the bacon grease or butter. Add the flour and stir well until the mixture is pale and ivory, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drizzle the warm milk in to the flour mixture, whisking constantly. Stir in the salt and pepper. Return the pan to medium heat and cook stirring constantly until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste the sauce and be sure there is no trace of flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add nutmeg and about 3/4 of the cheese. Stir until melted.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook noodles for 6-8 minutes, until slightly undercooked. Drain and return to the warm pot. Add the cheese sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake until bubbling around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Russets Vs. Reds: The Battle of the Spuds

So, here it is. I am including this recipe because I have had so many requests for it. I came by it over a very long and tedious process, but I am so happy with the results!
It all began many moons ago. I decided to try my hand at homemade au gratin potatoes. I LOVE au gratin potatoes, and, in accordance with my life motto, Everything must be better homemade! How could that little bag of powdery cheese, some dried potatoes, milk and butter taste better what was created at home?
I began trying different things. I put peeled, chopped russet potatoes, thinly sliced onions, minced garlic, whole milk, sour cream and plops of butter in a pan and baked it. After a very long time in the oven, it emerged. Good, but not what I wanted. Plus, I had to keep testing to see if the potatoes were done. Sometimes when I made it the potatoes were done, other times there were still some crunchy ones left.
I tried a cheese sauce, similar to the one I now use, but in the oven I still was left with potatoes that were not done, or, if they were done, it was an incredibly long, undetermined cooking time.
Another very disturbing factor was that I could not easily adjust the recipe. I am always cooking for a different amount of people and definitely do not like not being able to change amounts and cooking time with pretty standard results.

I had a huge fiasco one Easter. I had made my potatoes and they never finished cooking. They were way too crunchy, just gross, and I was mortified because everyone took one or two bites and left them on their plate. I wanted to apologize profusely, but I had just read that you are supposed to pretty much pretend like all the food tastes the way you want it to. I mean who wants someone to apologize all through the meal? It sounds like you are fishing for a compliment or something. And where do you draw the line? "I'm sorry, the rolls are not perfectly round and all the same size." "I'm sorry, this isn't as hot as I wanted it." "I'm sorry it took so long." "I'm sorry you don't like rice." "I'm sorry the cake is a little taller on one side." On and on and on...So I tried really hard not to do it. I just sat there and ate quietly, hoping for the meal to be over.
Then, I stumbled across this technique. I precooked the potatoes, made the sauce, assembled the two and popped them in the oven. This creamy, dreamy potato cheese ensemble is wonderful. The red potatoes retain their shape perfectly, and the sauce is surprisingly cheesy and oh so gooey. If you have cooked ham, dice it and throw it in with some broccoli and you have yourself a one meal deal! It can be done ahead of time and refrigerated, which makes it great for crowds or special occasions, and your potatoes are never, ever crunchy!

Au Gratin Potatoes

3 lbs red potatoes
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup grated sharp white Cheddar
2 cups plus 1 cup grated sharp yellow Cheddar
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes and chop them into 1/2 inch pieces. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes, reduce the heat to medium low, and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until done. Drain potatoes place in a 9x12 baking dish.
Preheat oven to 375.
Meanwhile, heat a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and heat until it melts. Raise the heat a bit and whisk in the flour and cayenne pepper. Whisk until the roux bubbles up, then cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stock and raise the heat a bit higher to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Once it bubbles, drop the heat back down to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the white Cheddar and 2 cups of the yellow Cheddar to the thickened sauce and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over potatoes and top with remaining cheese.
Place in oven to melt cheese and rewarm potatoes.