Strips ·
Bacon Mac and Cheese

Serves 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz Cracked Pepper Bacon strips, cooked, cut into bite size pieces
- 3 slices white hearty sandwich bread, torn into pieces
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces 5 Tablespoons butter for melting
- 1 Lb elbow macaroni
- Salt
- 6 Teaspoons flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons dry mustard
- 1/4 Teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 5 Cups whole milk
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
RECIPE
- Preheat broiler.
- Cook Cracked Pepper Bacon, cut into pieces and set aside. Don’t eat it yet!
- Pulse bread and 2 tablespoons cold butter in food processor until consistency of bread crumbs.
- Salt and boil 4 quarts water in a Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot. We like to make the water salty, like the sea, to give the macaroni flavor, but salt to your preference
- Once water is boiling, add macaroni and cook until al-dente. Drain and set aside.
- Melt 5 tablespoons butter in the empty pot. Slowly whisk in the flour, mustard, cayenne and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until the consistency is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until it’s thick, like heavy cream, about 5 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and whisk in all the cheese until it’s completely melted.
- Add macaroni, and (finally!) the bacon, stir and cook until the macaroni is hot again.
- Pour the entire mixture into a 13 x 9-inch broiler safe baking dish. Sprinkle the top with bread crumb mixture and broil until the bread crumbs are a lovely golden-brown (3-5 minutes...keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn)
- Remove, let sit a few minutes and then enjoy!