Irish Colcannon Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

    8 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
    1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    4 cups shredded cabbage
    2 leeks, sliced and cleaned
    2 large baking potatoes, cleaned and cooked until fork tender
    1½ teaspoons salt
    1½ teaspoons black pepper
    ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    ½ teaspoon paprika
    3 cups whole milk
    3 tablespoons butter
    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    1 cup Wisconsin Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
    1 cup Wisconsin Sharp White Cheddar cheese, shredded
    1 cup Wisconsin Havarti, shredded
    ½ cup panko or plain bread crumbs
    ½ cup scallions, sliced
    1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked until tender

Instructions

• heat kitchen appliance to 350 degrees F.

• Cook the potatoes within the microwave, within the kitchen appliance or in a very pot of boiling water till fork tender. enable to chill down fully. Peel with a pairing knife and shred with a box kitchen utensil. Set aside.

• Heat an outsized pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook till tender and suntanned. take away with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, to catch the surplus fat. take away about one tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pot. Stir within the onions and garlic and sauté for regarding five minutes, till soft and clear. Add the cabbage and leeks. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, and therefore the red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for regarding five minutes additional till soft. Fold within the chopped potatoes and take away from heat. Transfer to an outsized bowl and put aside.

• Place the milk in a very medium pot and produce to barely a simmer, over medium heat.*

• come the big pot to the stove and place over medium-high heat. Add the butter and permit to soften. Whisk within the flour and cook for regarding ten seconds to cook the flour a small amount. fastidiously pour within the heat milk, whereas whisking ceaselessly till all of the milk has been additional and therefore the butter/flour mixture has fully dissolved. Lower the flame to medium and cook till thickened. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper and therefore the paprika. Once thick, take away from heat.

• in a very medium bowl, toss along the chopped Wisconsin cheeses. Add the cheeses to the new thickened milk, reserving regarding ½ cup for topping afterward. Stir with a wood spoon, till the cheese has molten. Fold within the lyonnaise noodles, the lyonnaise cabbage mixture, the tender bacon and therefore the scallions, till equally combined. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish or into individual baking dishes and high with the breadcrumbs and reserved cheese. Bake for regarding twenty five to half-hour, till bubbly. Place beneath the broiler for some seconds to tender up the highest. Serve heat and garnish with sliced scallions on high. Enjoy!