Twice-Cooked Smoky Macaroni Cheese with Whisky - Chef Recipe by Sarah Glover

Ingredients

1 tsp salt
500 g dried macaroni
400 g bacon, diced
2 Tbs salted butter
1/4 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1/2 cup whisky
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs hot English mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups double (heavy) cream
1 1/4 cups grated cheddar
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
2/3 cup grated Parmesan

Topping:

1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup melted salted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat. Add the salt, followed by the macaroni, and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Set up a Grill (Sarah uses a Traeger grill) with apple wood pellets, and preheat the grill to 180°C.

Place a deep cast-iron frying pan or skillet on the grill and cook the bacon for 4–5 minutes, until golden, then set aside in a bowl, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then whisk in the flour until combined.

Next, add the whisky, chicken stock, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and whisk to combine you want a smooth sauce, so try to avoid it being too hot while the smooth sauce is forming.

Then bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking occasionally to scrape up any bits stuck to the base of the pan, and cook until starting to thicken. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer, then add all the cheese and stir until melted and you have a thick cheesy sauce. Add the macaroni and stir to combine, then transfer to a fireproof baking dish.

Combine the breadcrumbs, melted butter and bacon in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the mixture over the macaroni cheese and top with the grated cheddar. Cook in the grill for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Equipment

Sarah has used a Traeger grill for this recipe

Apple wood pellets

Cast-iron frying pan

Credits: Sarah Glover

Photo Credits: Sarah Glover