Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

The last time I made macaroni and cheese was on Valentine's Day. I had tried something new. I normally always just follow Ina Garten's recipe for mac and cheese but that day I tweaked it just a bit by adding white truffle butter to the roux and to the bread crumbs that topped the mac.

It's been a few months and it's time for another dose of mac and cheese! This time I'm going to change it even further. I've been to restaurants where they prepare a herb mac and cheese and it's usually good. I'm going to kick it up another notch, sorry I had to say that, by adding in some herbs and garlic.

Remember a few days back I posted a recipe for potatoes?? Well, I am going to use the greeen garlicky herb oil with the addition of 1 tablespoon chopped basil and add it to the cheese sauce before I add the cooked macaroni. I think it's going to be super delicious!!! Just in case it's not as delicious as I think it sounds, I decided to make two separate mac and cheeses. I made one small ramekin of the herbed mac and cheese and then made a bigger one of the regular truffle mac and cheese that I always make, I know that one would be good. As for you weird people who don't like green foods, I know a couple of you folks, yes you....just omit adding the green garlicky herb oil and your mac and cheese should turn out green-free!

After eating the ramekin of the mac and cheese with the herbs it is safe to say that it's my new favorite. It's a more mature macaroni and cheese, for us adults. The mixture of truffles and garlic gives the dish a fantastic aroma and taste. Serve this meal along with an arugula and tomato salad and it is sure to be a hit!

Here's the recipe...

Truffle & Herb Mac and Cheese

(serves 8 people)

1 pound elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated

2 tablespoons white truffle butter

½ cup flour

1 quart skim milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

8oz shredded sharp Cheddar

12oz shredded gruyere cheese

1 cup green garlicky herb oil (with basil added)

1 ½ cups bread crumbs

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender but still firm. Drain well and set aside.

In a deep skillet, melt 6 tablespoons butter (5 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) over medium heat. Add the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, to remove any lumps.

Pour in the milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Add in the green garlicky herb oil. Off the heat, stir in both cheeses and stir until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and stir until macaroni is well coated.

Melt the remaining butter (1 tbsp unsalted and 1 tbsp truffle butter) and combine with the breadcrumbs, sprinkle on top of macaroni.

Transfer the mixture to a 3-quart baking dish. Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Green Garlicky Potatoes

Here's a picture of the potatoes before they got cooked.

Green Garlicky Potatoes

2 cups italian parsley

10 garlic cloves

1/2 cup rosemary

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (whatever kind you like to use, I used baby yellow dutch potatoes)

Place first five ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until ingredients are chopped and blended well. Pour green garlicky goodness over cut potatoes and mix with your hands to coat potatoes. (you can cut them like I did above, or into fries, or coins, etc.) Make sure they are evenly sized so that the cooking time is the same. Spray baking dish with Pam or olive oil and place potatoes onto pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Be sure to turn, flip, and shake the potatoes every 10 minutes. you know they are done when they are fork tender and golden brown along the edges.