Anne Burrell's Killer Mac And Cheese

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• olive oil, extra virgin
• 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 1 onion, cut in 1/4-inch dice
• kosher salt, as needed
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 quart whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 lb pasta shells or 1 lb other short pasta
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 2 cups fontina cheese, freshly grated
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• tabasco sauce, to taste

Recipe

• 1 drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. add bacon and bring to medium heat. stir bacon occasionally. when crisp and brown (6-8 minutes) remove bacon from pan. drain. do not discard bacon fat!
• 2 add butter and onion to pan with the fat. season with salt and cook till onions are soft and aromatic (8-10 minutes). add flour and cook stirring 4-5 minutes. slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt. bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer on low heat 8-10 minutes more.
• 3 in the meantime, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. add pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package directions stipulate. drain and reserve.
• 4 add the three cheeses to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. add mustard and tabasco; taste and adjust seasonings. if mixture is too thick, add more milk. stir in bacon and pasta. mixture should be very creamy and flavorful. serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish or ramekins and reheat in a 375 degree oven.