Martha's Mac 'n' Cheese

My roommate/BFF has been asking me to make her mac 'n' cheese for months now and I haven't gotten around to it. Nothing like an impending departure to make you finally get around to doing things you put on the back burner! 

Now I like fancy mac 'n' cheese. You know the kind with expensive, smelly cheeses instead of the traditional cheddar. I also like adding fun and healthy things like steamed broccoli into the mix. I'm not a huge fan of the traditional variety, but that's exactly what my friend wanted. Good ol' orange mac 'n' cheese with no bells or whistles. 

I decided on Martha Stewart's recipe found here, because all the reviews were glowing. I was also intrigued by the fact that she calls for sliced white bread, to be crumbled, mixed with butter and made into the crispy topping. Seemed like the exact recipe I was looking for. 


Last minute I opted to add all the cheddar into the white sauce and used the Parmesan exclusively for the top. This made the mac 'n' cheese super cheesy. 

White bread crumbled with butter for a crispy top.

A few notes:
- Be careful with the boiling milk; especially when pouring it into the butter mixture. I found this step a little tricky. 
- Definitely cover the mac 'n' cheese for the majority of the cooking time with aluminum foil, and uncover only for the last 10-15 minutes. You don't want the top to burn before the dish is done. 
- I opted for the cheddar/Parmesan combo but next time I'd like to try it with gruyere. It'll add a much needed maturity to the dish. 

We served this with a side salad, but honestly, no one was very interested in the salad! The mac 'n' cheese steals the show.