Smokey Mac N Cheese

(Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with all the toppings!  This was taken while the bacon was cooking right before it went into the oven.)

Everyone knows that Mac N Cheese is definitely one of the best comfort foods!  I absolutely love the stuff!  How can you not love noodles that have just been SMOTHERED in creamy cheese!  Well, when my husband and I celebrated our 4th anniversary a couple of weeks ago, we ate dinner at the lovely Flemings restaurant, and we had the most delicious chipotle mac and cheese and I knew at once that I had to try and recreate it.  

So I did my research and came across this great recipe by The Neely's.  They have so many great comfort recipes to choose from.  I made just a few changes to the recipe that I will list below that I feel make the dish a bit more like the one we had at Flemings Steakhouse.  I think you will all enjoy this delicious version of Mac N Cheese.

Recipe:

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk, warm
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Dash salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Dash hot sauce
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar
• 1 cup smokey cheddar cheese
• 1 pound cavatappi pasta, cooked al dente
• 1 cup crushed potato chips (I used cheddar and sour cream ruffles)
• 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large saucepot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the warmed milk and bring to a boil, continue to whisk constantly. The mixture will thicken as the heat increases. Continue to stir while adding

the dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire. Stir in the 3 cups of Cheddar until it melts.

Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles and add to a 3 quart casserole dish.

Sprinkle the chips, bacon and Parmesan on top and bake for 35 minutes.