sprinklefingers

i kinda feel like i have a lot of balls talking (or typing) all that talk about salads and then - then - posting about mac & cheese. because, let’s be honest here, the last thing i need right now is a bowl of white noodles covered in cheese sauce.

but never mind all that. i committed long ago to not ever (ever) letting food make me feel guilty - that’s what parenthood and the in-laws are for!

getting on with it: it’s green chile season. if you are lucky enough to know someone with new mexican ties, you ought to beg that person to get a hold of some freshly roasted hatch chiles for you. if you aren’t that lucky in the friend department, you might want to see if your local specialty market is carrying hatch chiles. they don’t last long, so you should grab them if you see them!

since freshly roasted green chiles started showing up at my market, i’ve been celebrating their deliciousness like you wouldn’t believe. it’s like i’m organizing my own chile festival over here, i swear.  

my latest incarnation of chile celebration is mac & cheese. this mac & cheese is unlike any other because it makes use of another of my current obsessions - roasted shallots. add in a bit of bacon and you’ve got a veritable parade of deliciousness on your hands. (if you played an instrument in high school like - say - the trumpet, you should dig it out the night you make this mac & cheese and call your family to the dinner table by performing a one-man (or woman!) parade around the table. sure, they’ll think you’re crazy for a minute, but when they taste this mac & cheese they’ll change their tune. ha! i said tune!)

anyways, enough of my lack-of-sleep-induced rambling. let’s get to the food!

roasted shallot & green chile mac & cheese with bacon 
makes two 9x13” pans

you need:

• 1/2 c butter
• 2/3 c flour
• 6 c milk
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/2 t granulated garlic

• 8 oz jack cheese, shredded
• 20 oz beecher’s flagship cheese, shredded

• 24 oz macaroni noodles

• 24 roasted shallots, chopped
• 5 roasted chiles, chopped
• 6 slices bacon, cooked & chopped 

make the mac & cheese:

1. melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk in flour. cook while whisking for 2-4 minutes. you’re not looking for the butter to brown at all, you simply want to make sure the flour & the butter combine and cook together a bit. guess what? you just made a roux! magic! 
2. slowly add the milk. whisk constantly. cook until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. remove from the heat.
3. add the cheeses, salt and garlic powder. stir and stir until all the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated. this is your cheese sauce. set it aside until your noodles are ready.
4. speaking of noodles, boil your macaroni. you’ll want to cook it a minute or two less than the package instructions suggest. drain the noodles and then pour them back into the pot you boiled them in.
5. over the cooked noodles, pour the cheese sauce. once the cheese sauce is on, add the chopped shallots, chopped chiles and bacon. mix the entire thing together very well so that all of the ingredients are combined.
6. divide the macaroni between two 9x13” pans and bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes. if you’re not feeding an army, you can freeze one entire pan for later. perfect.

ps: why, yes, this recipe does look a lot like the one i posted ages ago for plain ol’ macaroni & cheese!