Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa and Mustard (NBR)

Bread Crumb Topping

• 6 slices (about 6 ounces) good-quality white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Pasta and Cheese

• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• Salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 5 cups milk
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
• 8 ounces smoked kielbasa
• 1 medium onion
• 4 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

Bread and butter.

Mise en place.

Cook onions in butter until lightly browned.

Add flour, dried mustard, and cayenne and cook until fragrant.

Gradually add milk, bring to a boil, and thicken.  Basically, make a bechamel sauce.

Off heat, add cheese and stir until melted.

Add pasta, kielbasa, and mustard to cheese sauce.  Throw it all into a broiler safe pan and top with the massive amount of bread crumbs.

Oops, too close to the broiler.  It was literally on fire when I pulled it out.

 

Was this an improvement on the mac and cheese I made a couple months ago?  At least it wasn't grainy and didn't involve an insane amount of prep.  Maybe it just goes to show that I'm not a huge fan of mac and cheese.