An oldie but a great-ie - recipe for tasty and simple mac and cheese.

Ingredients:

  • 700ml milk
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 350g macaroni
  • 50g butter
  • 50g plain flour
  • 175g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp English mustard
  • 50g Parmesan, grated
  • 50g coarse white breadcrumbs

Method:

  1. Add the milk, onion, garlic and bay leaf to a small saucepan. Heat gently until almost boiling. Remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and set aside.
  2. Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling water. This will take about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 5.
  4. To make a roux melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, then cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute on a low heat.
  5. Add the warm infused milk to the roux and whisk until smooth. Simmer for 4 minutes, whisking often.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cheddar and mustard. Stir until the cheese has melted.
  7. Add the cheese sauce to the macaroni and stir well to combine.
  8. Tip the mix into a baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan and breadcrumbs over the top, then bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  

Recipe courtesy of Avonmore.