BEST MACARONI AND CHEESE – I’ve ever made!

Recipe and photo: Amanda Conradie

• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 30 g butter
• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour
• 3 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 ml milk
• 1 packet Four Cheeses sauce mix
• 250 g smoked bacon, chopped
• 500 g dried macaroni
• 2 whisked eggs (optional)
• 2 large tomatoes and 1 sliced in slices for garnish
• 100 g Cheddar cheese, freshly grated + 50 g extra
• 100 g Tussers cheese, freshly grated + 50 g extra
• a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 2 splashes Worcestershire sauce, optional
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, optional
• 2 big handfuls fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Get a large pan of salted water on the boil and add sliced onion.
• Melt the butter in a large ovenproof saucepan over a low heat, then add the flour and turn the heat up to medium, stirring all the time, until you get a paste – this is your roux.
• Add all the garlic – don’t worry about the amount because it will caramelise and cook in the roux.
• Keep cooking and stirring until golden.
• Add the bay leaves and slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time to ensure you get a nice smooth sauce.
• Mix packet of Four Cheese mix with a little bit of water and add to your thickened sauce.
• Bring the mixture to the boil, then leave it on a low heat to simmer and tick away, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat your oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7.
• Add the pasta to the pan of boiling salted/onion water and cook according to the packet instructions.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes on a board and season them well with salt and pepper. Keep 1 tomato for decoration.
• Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sauce. Give it a good stir and take the pan off the heat.
• Stir in your grated cheeses. Keep aside.
• Fry your chopped bacon till cooked and add chopped tomatoes and thyme leaves. Fry 1-2 minutes.
• A little Worcestershire sauce added now is nice, and so is a little grating or two of nutmeg.
• Now work on the flavour – taste it and season it until it’s hitting the right spot. Add to pasta mixture.
• If using eggs, now is the time to add them and mix well.
• If you’ve made your sauce in an ovenproof casserole-type pan, leave everything in there; if not, transfer it to a deep earthenware dish.
• Decorate with sliced tomatoes.
• Mix 50 g Tussers cheese and 50 g Cheddar with your breadcrumbs, coat with olive oil and mix with your hands.
• Top your Mac and Cheese with breadcrumb mix.
• Bake it for 20-30 minutes in the oven, until golden, bubbling, crispy and delicious and golden all over.
• Serve your macaroni cheese with a lovely green salad.