Potluck Mac-n-Cheese
(Courtesy of Joe Horn, co-owner of Dish Café & Catering. Serves 10 to 12 as a side dish)
1 box dried penne pasta (16 ounces)
4 cups cheese sauce (see below)
3 ounces sharp aged cheddar, grated
3 ounces Gruyere cheese or Comte, grated
¼ to ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions. You want noodles almost done. They will finish cooking in sauce in oven. Drain pasta and combine with cheese sauce in pot you cooked sauce in. Transfer pasta into a buttered 9 by 13 casserole dish. Sprinkle top with cheese, then add chili powder. Bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top has a nice golden crust.
Cheese Sauce (makes 4 cups)
¼ cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
14 ounces semi-hard cheddar cheese, grated (I love Beecher’s Flagship cheddar)
3 ounces grated semi-soft cheese (I used gorgonzola)
Kosher salt to taste
½ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Pick a pan that will hold pasta and sauce so you can combine them. Whisk in flour. Continue to whisk and cook for 2 minutes. You just made a roux, a substance used for thickening sauces.
Slowly add milk (which should be cold) whisking constantly so it is smooth. Cook until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Now you turned roux into a bechamel.
Remove from heat. Add cheese, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated. If cheese isn’t melting completely you can put pot on low heat. Add salt to taste.
