Skillet Baked Mac and Cheese

Recipes for a nice, comforting batch of mac and cheese can quickly go from inspirationally gooey to a tragic cheese casserole of mush if not handled with care. Overcooking the pasta is often a huge problem. To achieve a nice, creamy and smooth cheese sauce you only need a low temperature, the right blend of melt-able cheeses and a fair amount of patience to whisk up a light roux … or commonly referred to as a béchamel sauce.

Often times people use velveeta, creme fraiche, cream cheese, egg, or the many other creaming agents people sometimes swear by. I swear by the cheese combination of Colby (not Colby Jack),  Gouda, and Gruyere.

When it comes to the actual pasta I prefer the classic elbow macaroni. We have all been in mac-n-cheese situations which have served us mini shells, penne, fusili spirals, cavatappi spirals, campanelle, and even armoniche.  While I appreciate their urge for creativity, I still find prefer to go classic with mine.

Slightly undercooking the pasta before baking is quite common to account for the baking process. You will end up with elbow macaroni that retains its shape and swimming in a pool of rich, creamy melted cheese topped with a slight crunch of panko bread crumbs and black pepper.

Ingredientsfor mac and cheese

• 2 cups dried elbow macaroni pasta
• 4 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon unsalted European butter, divided
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 ounces Colby cheese (not Colby Jack)
• 4 ounces Gouda cheese
• 4 ounces Swiss Gruyere cheese
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. In medium saucepan, boil macaroni until half cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta, and mix in 1 tablespoon of European butter. Set aside and let cool.
2. Grate cheeses and combine into one mixture. Set aside.
   
3. In a large sauce pan combine remaining European butter with milk. Heat on low, stirring constantly until butter is melted and mixture is scalding, but never boiling. Add flour and stir constantly over low heat with a whisk until roux becomes thick enough to feel some resistance when stirring and there is no trace of any flour-like texture. Fold in salt, mustard and black pepper.
4. While maintaining the low, below-boiling temperature, gradually add cheese mixture in thirds while constantly mixing with whisk to ensure that with each addition yields a smooth cheese sauce consistency without any lumps. After all cheese is thoroughly mixed, remove from heat.
5. Stir half-cooked pasta into cheese sauce and pour into oven proof skillet or 9-inch round skillet or square casserole dish. Sprinkle top with panko breadcrumbs and extra ground black pepper if desired.
   
6. Bake on 300 degrees in center of oven just until small bubbles are emerging on the sides, 15 – 20 minutes. Time might vary slightly between ovens. It’s extremely important not to over-cook because the cheese will separate into a stiff and oily mess. Do not be fooled by the seemingly lack of cooking happening on the surface because there is plenty of reward happening below.

I don’t know anyone who does not love mac ‘n cheese, and once you master any recipe for this infamously poplar American comfort food, this you can indulge in its countless variations.  If you like a hint of hint of heat then definitely try stuffing mac ‘n cheese into poblano peppers prior to baking.

It helps to do this in phases. Prepare the peppers the day before. They can be stored in the refrigerator until they are ready to be stuffed. Simply roast them over an open flame on the stove and peel off the skins.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe of my Mac ‘n Cheese
• 5 – 6 poblano peppers
• olive oil for brushing
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. Roast the peppers over a direct flame until skins are charred on all sides. Set them aside to cool so they can be easily handled; also the skins will separate from the flesh easier from the cooling process.
   
2. With your hands, gently strip the skins from the flesh making sure the pepper remains as whole as possible.  You can also rinse the pepper in water to clean off any charred debris. Cut one vertical slit in one side of the peppers and use a paring knife to carefully remove the inner ribs, core and seeds.
3. Once poblano peppers are prepared they can be used immediately or stored stored in the refrigerator the day before.
4. Prepare a recipe as instructed for Ben’s Baked Mac ‘n Cheese except use the partially cooked cheese-coated macaroni to stuff into the peppers . Brush the sides with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper.
5. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, just until the cheese starts to gently bubble on the sides.

Yield: 5 – 6 peppers