Smokey Bacon Mac N Cheese

I love mac n cheese.  It does not love me (which has something to do with the fact that I am lactose intolerant), but every once in awhile I have to indulge.  This mac n cheese was inspired by one that my friend Kelly ordered at a place called Tryst at Delray Beach when we were down in Florida.  I have put bacon in mac n cheese before, but not in a long time and I didn't remember being that excited about the end result.  But this Tryst version was so delicious that I figured I had to make another I wanted to make sure that the mac n cheese didn't end up being all about the bacon.  I kind of felt like last time the bacon had taken center stage and ended up missing plain old mac n cheese.  To play up the smoky flavor of the bacon I decided to use a blend of smoked cheeses that I bought at Trader Joe's, which includes smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, smoked mozzarella, and smoked provolone.  I supplemented the smoked cheese blend with some nice sharp NY cheddar that I grated because I didn't want the mac n cheese to be altogether too smokey.  The basic mac n cheese recipe I used was Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese.  Awhile ago I stumbled across several blogs (including Diner's Journal in the NY Times) that claimed that her recipe was the legitimately the perfect mac n cheese - perhaps even the best recipe ever.  And it was a very simple recipe, one that I could play around with and change as I saw fit, which made it ideal for this kind of experimentation!

I don't know that this was the best mac n cheese that I have every tasted, but it was really good.  I loved the homemade garlic and herb bread crumb topping.  That might have been my absolute favorite part of the dish.  I might use the herb crumb topping on all mac n cheese recipes going forward.  I am usually way too lazy to make homemade bread crumbs, but after experiencing just how delicious homemade bread crumbs toasted in evoo can be in Mario Batali's Spaghetti con la Sarde, I knew we had to go the extra mile here.  And it was very worth it.  The cheese sauce in this mac n cheese is gooey, rich, and super cheesy.  It's not as creamy as some other mac n cheese recipes I have tried, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.  And I can't forget the bacon.  You can definitely taste the bacon in every bite, but it isn't overwhelming.  When you get a bite with bacon in it you get a hit of porky, salty goodness, but otherwise it just gives the dish some extra smokey goodness with a hint of bacon.  Yum.

Recipe after the jump!

Smokey Bacon Mac N Cheese

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups roughly torn chunks of baguette
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk (we used skim milk, but you traditionally use whole milk for bechamel sauce)
5 slices bacon
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
4 cups sharp white cheddar, grated
2 1/2 cups Trader Joe's grated smoked cheese blend
1 pound elbow macaroni or shells (we used calamari shaped pasta, only because it was what we had)

Pulse bread in the food processor until roughly chopped into coarse bread crumbs.  Add garlic and parsley.  Pulse to combine.  Drizzle 2 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp evoo over bread crumb mixture.  Add a pinch of kosher salt.  Pulse to combine.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk.  Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat.  Once bacon is nearly done, remove it form the pot using a slotted spoon.  Add 3 tbsp butter to the remaining bacon fat.  After the butter has melted, add flour to create a roux.  Cook, whisking until the butter and flour have combined into a thick paste, about 1 minute.  Slowly pour hot milk into the roux while whisking.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.  This takes at least 5 minutes because you want the bechamel to be so thick that it coats the back of a spoon and doesn't drip off immediately.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fresh thyme, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups grated cheese blend. Set aside.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta 2 minutes less than manufacturer's directions dictate, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone.  You want to make sure the pasta is undercooked so that it doesn't get overcooked and mushy while the mac n cheese bakes.  Transfer the pasta to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.   Stir pasta into cheese sauce.  Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup grated cheese mixture over the top.  Scatter breadcrumbs on top.

Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Serve.

Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese
MarthaStewart.com

INGREDIENTS:
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.  Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.  Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top.

Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.