For the past 6-9 months I have been vaguely obsessed with a dish I have never actually had, called "chili mac." The name combines two of my favorite comfort foods, but when I actually learned from online recipes what this dish entailed, it didn't seem nearly so enticing. Another member of my household was very disappointed to learn that it's chili plus macaroni, not chili plus macaroni AND CHEESE. But that naturally prompted the question ... what would chili mac & cheese look like?
The experiment: Brown some ground beef in a big, heavy skillet. Get it really brown -- if the bits start getting a little crunchy, you're doing it right. Add 4 tsp mild chile powder (I use New Mexico for chili) and some garlic and some salt and keep browning. Set aside.
Meanwhile, make your favorite macaroni and cheese. (Mine involves a rough and ready mornay, but you could probably do this from a box too if you prefer. I made the roux in the ground beef skillet.) Then fold the browned bits of ground beef into the pasta.
I didn't get my ground beef brown enough and my cheese sauce was thicker than I wanted, but still the results were really satisfying -- the best macaroni and cheese hack I've had in a long time. I used a ratio of 1 pound ground beef to 6 oz. dry pasta and associated cheese, which seemed about right.
I'll be trying this again.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
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My personal favorite mac and cheese involves blanched chopped kale and diced slab bacon, and a cheese sauce made with the sharpest aged cheddar Trader Joe's sells. On the down side, it's a bit of a production, but on the upside it's great to make on Sunday and reheat on a more hectic weeknight.
ReplyDeleteMmm. What does the texture of the kale/bacon end up like?
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