Or, as they say in the U.K, Macaroni Cheese. They also call Egg Salad “Egg Mayonnaise.” They are so direct, those Brits. Just the ingredients, and get on with it. Who needs connecting verbs.

 

5 or 6 thin slices of pancetta, torn apart

3 Tbsp. butter 

3 Tbsp. flour 

3 c. milk 

2 c. (total) fontina, asiago and parmigiano, heavy on the fontina 

a few leaves of fresh sage

a couple of peeled garlic cloves, smashed

salt and freshly ground white pepper

and for the top:

2 Tbsp. melted butter

4 Tbsp. grated parmigiano

4 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs

Heat the oven to 375. Put the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Have ready a buttered baking dish, 9x13 or comparable.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan with the garlic, sage leaves and the pancetta. Sizzle for a few minutes, until the sage and pancetta are crisp and the garlic is beginning to brown. Discard the garlic and put the sage and pancetta in the macaroni bowl. Whisk in the flour, sizzle for a minute, and add the milk, whisking constantly to break up any lumps, but a few are fine. Nobody will notice. Boil for a minute or two and remove from the heat. Gently stir in the cheese, add salt and pepper to taste, and toss with the macaroni. Scrape into the buttered baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together with clean hands and sprinkle on top of the macaroni.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until crusty and bubbly and browned.

Best is the day after, when the leftovers are congealed. Slice into thick slabs and fry in a hot, well-seasoned (ergo, non-stick) cast-iron frying pan on both sides, until crisp. If it makes you feel better, serve it with leaves of butter lettuce, dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

A Simple Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar

8 Tbsp. light olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

I have an aero latte (a battery-operated milk frother that you can get at IKEA for almost nothing) that I use to mix this up. You could just use a fork.