Mely's Fancy Mac and Cheese

One of my favorite things to eat is Mac and Cheese, the gourmet kind. When I go to restaurants and see fancy Mac and Cheese I always want to order it. With that said, I've always wanted to make restaurant quality gourmet Mac and Cheese at home and after searching online I found this recipe to work with. I customized it to my liking, changed the cheeses and omitted a few things I didn't agree with and so like that "Mely's Fancy Mac and Cheese" was born.

We went to my Momma's house Friday after work to make this recipe because I feel most comfortable in my Momma's kitchen and being there makes me happy #mommasgirlforlife

Okay back to the Mac and Cheese... 

Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
1 TSP Garlic Powder

10 slices Thick Cut Bacon

2 Whole Yellow Onions, Peeled, Halved, And Thinly Sliced

4 Tablespoons Butter, Plus More For Buttering The Pan

1/2 cups Shredded Gouda Cheese

1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese plus 1 Cup for layering

1/2 cups Shredded Fontina Cheese

1-½ pound Macaroni

¼ cups All-purpose Flour

2 cups Whole Milk
3/4 cups Half-and-half

(For a rich vegetarian option simply omit the bacon)

First shred your cheeses and peel and slice your onions

Fry the bacon until chewy but not yet crisp. Chop the bacon into bite-size bits and set aside. Remove most of the bacon fat from the skillet except for about 3 TBSP. Return to stove and add the sliced onions. Cook on medium-high heat for 15 minutes until golden brown. And yes I had you cook onions in bacon fat because well, it's delicious.

Cook the macaroni according to directions in a large pot, drain and set aside.

Now would be a good time to preheat your oven to 385 degrees

To make the sauce, melt 4 of your tablespoons of butter in the large pot you used for the mac over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour, whisking to combine. Let the sauce cook for a minute or so, whisking constantly. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, then cook the white sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.

Next, add the half and half, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, plenty of black pepper, and stir to combine.

Now add your shredded cheesy goodness to the mix, and whisk away to make a thick cheesy sauce. This should only take a couple minutes.

Now add the cooked macaroni and stir to coat. Splash in milk as needed for thinning.

 Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan generously.
 (sorry I have no pic of this, I got excited seeing my cheese mixed in with the macaroni that I forgot to take a pic)

Lay half of the cooked onions on the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of your bacon bits, add a layer of half of the macaroni then layer of 1/3 of your bacon, the rest of your onions and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, this will be your middle layer. Pour your remaining Macaroni on top and then top off with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and remaining bacon.

Bake 20-25 Minutes until golden brown and the bacon on top is crisp.

Serve and Enjoy!

This is a great dish because you have the richness of the cheese but the sweetness of the onion and saltiness of the bacon balance all the flavors out!

~Mely