MARKET MAC & CHEESE
Recipe from The Leek & The Carrot
**I love adding some fancy sausage to my mac & cheese for a little extra heft. We usually have something from Enos Farms or Dorothy’s Range in our freezer. You can also use something pre-cooked from the store. Keep in mind it is completely optional.
Takes 45 minutes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
12 ounces noodles (your choice!)
¼ cup butter
½ bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 bunch chard
¼ cup flour
3 cups whole milk
8 ounces pre-cooked sausage, sliced, optional**
2 cups mixed cheese
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
While waiting for that to boil, brown butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Once browned, add your scallions and saute gently. Slice the stems of your chard and add them to the butter and scallions. Chop the chard leaves and set to the side for later.
Sauté scallions and chard until wilted, about 5 minutes, then add flour. Stir well so that the flour is well incorporated into the mixture and no longer dry white flour is visible. You may have to stir and cook gently for a minute or two.
By now your pasta water is likely boiling, add noodles and cook according to package directions. Cook to al dente, and then drain, but reserve about a cup of the pasta water off to the side.
Add milk to your roux (butter/flour mixture). Begin with 1 cup and add it very slowly, stirring as you go. Once that has been incorporated, add the second cup the same way. Once that has been incorporated, add the third cup all at once, stirring to combine. Let simmer gently for 10 minutes then add chard greens. It should be a nice creamy consistency that coats the back of your spoon. That’s when you know you have gone from milk to sauce.
Return the noodles to the large pot you boiled them in. Add charred sausage and cheese. Pour your milk mixture over it all and stir well to combine. Use reserved pasta water to thin/loosen if the sauce is too thick for your liking. Serve warm!