Mellow Macaroni & Cheese

This macaroni and cheese takes the standard formula and adds two moves most home cooks skip. First, sauteed onion goes into the butter at the start, building a savoury foundation under the cheese sauce. Second, a cup of sour cream stirs in at the end with the pasta, adding tang and richness that pure cheese sauce alone can’t deliver.

The sauce starts as a proper roux. Melt butter, soften onion, add flour and cook 2 minutes (this kills the raw flour flavour), then whisk in milk slowly while stirring. The Worcestershire sauce is the secret ingredient that gives the mac its savoury depth without anyone being able to pin down why it tastes good.

Grate the cheddar yourself rather than buying pre-shredded. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that interferes with smooth melting and can leave the sauce grainy. The extra two minutes of grating is worth it.

Kitchen Tips

• Use sharp or extra-sharp cheddar for the most pronounced cheese flavour. Mild cheddar disappears into the sauce.
• Slightly undercook the macaroni. It’ll continue cooking in the oven and ends up perfect; properly cooked pasta turns mushy by the time the casserole comes out.
• Whisk the milk into the roux slowly, in stages. Dumping it all at once creates lumps that are impossible to whisk out.
• Use seasoned bread crumbs, not panko, for the top. Seasoned crumbs already have salt and herbs that brown into a flavourful topping; panko bakes plain.

Variations

• Add a half cup of grated Parmesan or Gruyere alongside the cheddar for a more complex cheese flavour.
• Stir in cooked crumbled bacon or diced ham for a meaty version.
• Top with crumbled Ritz crackers in place of bread crumbs for a buttery crunchy crust.