Pepper Jack Mac

The base of this recipe is from a traditional macaroni and cheese. To add some heat and contemporary flavor profiles I used a combination of pepper jack cheese and sharp white cheddar, replacing the standard cheddar the recipe called for. Play with your own cheese profiles to see what tasty, gooey goodness you can create!

Enjoy!

Pepper Jack Mac

Ingredients:

• 1 lb rotini pasta
• 1/3 cup of butter
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 5 cups of whole milk
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¾ lb pepper jack cheese; shredded
• ¼ lb of sharp white cheddar cheese; shredded
• crushed Fritos

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water. Cook for 3-4 min max and drain and set aside. (you want the pasta super al dente so it doesn't over cook while its being baked)
• In a Dutch oven melt the butter over medium low heat then whisk in the flour stirring constantly for 1min making a paste, a.k.a. Roux.
• Pour in 1 cup of milk and mix until completely combined. Continue adding the milk ½-1 cup at a time until all 5 cups are blended.
• Season the milk mixture with garlic gloves (minced), nutmeg, salt and pepper and drop the bay leaves in. Increase heat slightly and bring to a simmer for about 20 min.
• Once the milk mixture is slightly thickened, remove bay leaves and melt in the cheese one handful at a time.
• Mix in all the pasta and stir until fully combined.
• Pour mixture into 9x13x2in casserole dish and cover with crushed Frito topping.
• Bake for 35-45 min until golden brown and bubbling.