Proper Baked Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked 2 minutes SHY of al dente
• 4 tbsp butter + 4 tbsp flour + 3 cups milk
• 4 cups grated cheese — sharp cheddar majority + something melty
• 1 tsp mustard powder + pinch of cayenne + nutmeg
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs tossed in 2 tbsp melted butter
• Salt like you mean it

Method

1. Roux: butter and flour, 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk gradually; simmer thick.
2. Off heat, melt in the cheese by handfuls with the mustard, cayenne, and nutmeg. Taste — béchamel needs more salt than feels legal.
3. Fold in the undercooked macaroni (it finishes in the oven; cooked-cooked pasta bakes to mush).
4. Into a buttered dish, buttered crumbs over the top.
5. Bake at 375°F (190°C) 25–30 minutes until bubbling at the corners with a bronzed crust. Rest 10 minutes — the wait is the hardest step and the most ignored. Reign accordingly.