If you want plenty of cheesy, crunchy crust… use a casserole dish with a wide surface and make sure it’s made of clear glass so you can see your mac while it bakes. You’ll know it’s almost ready when it bubbles at the bottom and browns on top. Don’t have glass? Use a Lodge cast iron skillet instead. Enjoy…
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a medium-size casserole dish or 10” Lodge cast iron skillet.
Sauce:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne, optional
1 teaspoon Colman dry mustard
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt flakes
2 cups whole milk, warmed
½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound elbow macaroni, penne or farfalle
Topping:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 pound coarsely grated sharp Cheddar
Melt butter, then stir together with breadcrumbs and cheese until combined. Set aside.
Make Pasta:
Cook 1 pound dry pasta al dente in a pot of boiling, salted water. Drain reserving a ladle or two of pasta water in case you need to thin your sauce.
In the meantime…
Make Roux:
Melt butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, pepper, salt, cayenne and Colman’s. Bring to a bubble and cook roux 2+ minutes actively stirring. Now slowly add the milk and stir until sauce thickens and begins to bubble. Remove from heat, wait one minute and stir in the cheese until melted and smooth.
Stir pasta and sauce together in a large bowl and transfer mixture to buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle topping evenly over all and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Serve hot out!