I’ve eaten a lot of macaroni cheese. There are recipes out there that do things like use cottage cheese instead of sauce, insist that cheddar needs help from obscure French friends, or allow only 37g of macaroni per person. For a classic macaroni cheese you can count on, you need to stand over a large pot of bechamel and personally load it with cheddar and some key accessories.
Serves 5-6
macaroni 500g
unsalted butter 100g, plus 3 tbsp for the top
plain flour 75g
milk 1.2 litres
mature cheddar cheese 275g, grated, plus 50g for the top
English mustard 1 tbsp
nutmeg ½ tsp, freshly grated
breadcrumbs 50g
salt and pepper
