To wrap up out football theme, I have some macaroni and cheese with all the
quintessential Wisconsin fixings mixed into it.
I made this at my boyfriend’s house. Big mistake. The most
useful thing he had was a grill. Real bachelor kitchen. I should have known.
It works for him apparently but it almost caused me a nervous breakdown. Now by
no means do I have a ton of fancy pots and pans or equipment, but I do have
some. Most of it is hand me downs. I might have overreacted to not having the
things I’m used to cooking with. That should not be a surprise to anyone though. Cooking in a new place is stressful, but
totally doable and you don’t need anything fancy to make macaroni and cheese
from scratch.
The stuff in the blue box or Annie’s macaroni and cheese is
wonderful, but you just can’t beat homemade macaroni and cheese. I think it is intimidating
for most people, but even a sparsely equipped bachelor pad kitchen has the
equipment to make it: medium sized saucepan, large pot to boil noodles and a
baking dish.
I grilled the brats, but you could totally throw them in the
oven or on the stove top, in a pan. If you grill the brats, don’t be like me and
spend 6 minutes futzing around trying to take pictures. The charcoal grill will get to hot with all
that air and then everything will go up in flames and your brats will be split
open and be flame cooked in 4 minutes.
Lesson learned.
It is all pretty straightforward. If you have never made a
roux (butter and flour), don’t be scared. Keep and eye on it and stir constantly. This is what
will thicken your cheese sauce. Once it is a light nutty brown, pour in your
beer slowly and then the milk. This avoids clumps. Bring this mixture almost to
a boil, which means for me where there are tons of tiny bubbles all around the
edge of the pan. Add the cheese. Add the brats and peppers.
You’re going to probably look at this sauce and freak out
like I did, thinking it is way to runny and that there is way too much of it. I know there can
never be too much cheese, but proportions and balance are key to a solid mac. I
know I freaked out, but it came out of the oven perfectly, with just the right
amount of spice, which will depend on the heat of your jalapeños.
It was even
better the next day for lunch! I didn’t try it but I bet this would work great
to make the day before, refrigerate and reheat in the oven at your friend’s
house or before your own football party. Make it for any party really, it is
delicious and oh-so very Wisconsin. I promise.
cheers,
April
Ingredients:
for topping:
2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup gruyere or fontina cheese, grated
1 jalapeno, grilled, seeded and chopped
for macaroni & cheese:
1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
5 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated
1 jalapenos, grilled, seeded, chopped
1 poblano pepper, grilled, seeded, sliced into quarter inch pieces
4 brats, grilled (I used D&G Sausage Shop bacon and jalapeno brats)
1 lb pasta (such as cavatapi, fusulli or macaroni) cooked to al dente
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup amber or pilsner beer
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups whole milk
Instructions:
grilling:
Start by heating your grill to medium heat. Place brats, two jalapenos and poblano pepper on the grill. Cook the peppers for 2 to 5 minutes, or until lightly charred. Cook the brats, turning, for 6 to 8 minutes.
Topping:
Preheat oven to 400F, with rack in middle. Combine the butter, panko
bread crumbs, cheddar, Gruyere and one jalapeno pepper, in a bowl,
until well combined. Set aside for later.
Macaroni and Sauce
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, melt the
butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once butter has
melted whisk in the flour, continue whisking for 3 minutes, until the
mixture is a light golden color and thick, then slowly whisk in the beer and milk.
Increase the heat to medium and bring sauce to a low boil, whisking constantly
(this takes about 8 minutes). Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes or until sauce
has thickened. Stir in cheeses, until smooth. Add in the remaining jalapeno, poblano and brats. Season to taste with salt
and pepper.
Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes
(a few minutes shy of done). Drain pasta in a colander. Combine the noodles and cheese sauce, until evenly coated.
Transfer to a 9 x 12 baking dish, sprinkling topping over the pasta
evenly.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until topping is golden.
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