Baked Macaroni and Cheese
 
 
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • ½ pound elbow macaroni
  • 6 tbsp butter, divided
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp powdered mustard
  • 3 cups milk (I used 2 cups whole milk, and 1 cup skim milk)
  • ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 bay leaf (I omitted)
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 large egg
  • 12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about 5 minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer 10 minutes and remove bay leaf.
  4. Temper in the egg. Stir in ¾ 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.
  5. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Source: Alton Brown
Recipe by Dallas Duo Bakes at http://dallasduobakes.com/2010/11/baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html