Dinner Tonight: Cast-Iron Mac and Cheese - epicurious / Debbie Koening

Mac and cheese can be a time-consuming proposition. My version is on the table in just about 30 minutes total.

The spark for this recipe came from my friend Taryn, who casually combines ingredients without using a particular formula. She goes by feel, adding handfuls of cheese and spoonfuls of flour until the mixture feels right. Then she stirs in the cooked macaroni, pours everything into a casserole dish, and runs it under the broiler for a few minutes. The blast of heat creates an instant crust—no need for breadcrumbs.

I've modified Taryn's technique to make things even easier. I prepare the cheese sauce in a large cast-iron skillet, which can safely go under the broiler. It saves on cleanup since there's no casserole dish, and the pan itself makes the dish more nutritious. That's right, cooking in cast iron will actually impart iron to food. Women and toddlers need plenty of that mineral, so it makes this quickie method downright indispensable, as far as I'm concerned.

Since this recipe moves so quickly, make sure you've got everything measured and lined up on the counter before you start.

INGREDIENTS

1. • One 12- to 14.5-ounce box whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta (I like rotini or radiatore, but elbows are nice too)
   • 1 tablespoon butter
   • 1 1/2 cups milk (I use 1 percent)
   • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
   • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
   • 1/2 teaspoon salt
   • 2 to 2 1/2 cups (8 to 10 ounces) grated cheese(s) of your choice, divided (the more you use, the cheesier the dish)
   • 4 to 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2. 
   

3. PREPARATION

   1. 1. 1. Preheat broiler. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (covered to speed things up). Heat a large cast-iron skillet (8 to 10 inches across, and 2 inches or more deep) over low heat.
      2. 2. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Set a timer, since you'll be distracted by the next steps.
      3. Use a thick potholder with that skillet! Cast iron gets very, very hot. After burning my hand one too many times, I learned to pull a small dishtowel through the hole in the skillet's handle. It serves as a good visual reminder—just be sure it's kept well away from the flame. One of my mom-testers offered another bit of advice: Always use two (potholdered) hands when picking up a cast-iron pan. Otherwise, you might casually try to grab it with your free, bare, hand. Ow.
      4. 3. While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce: Put the butter into the now very-hot skillet. It should melt, foam, and begin to brown almost immediately. Pour in the milk, then add the mustard, paprika, and salt, and whisk together.
      5. 4. Set aside 1/2 cup of the grated cheese for topping the final dish. Begin to add the rest of the cheese to the skillet, one handful at a time, whisking between each addition. When it has all melted, sift the flour over the skillet, one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each spoonful. Stop adding the flour when the sauce is almost as thick as housepaint.
      6. Easiest way to sift small amounts of flour: Use a regular old strainer.
      7. 5. Continue to cook the sauce, whisking constantly, until pasta is cooked. Drain the pasta well and add to the skillet, then remove from the heat.
      8. 6. Stir pasta and cheese sauce together until fully combined, then sprinkle the top with the reserved grated cheese. Broil until top is browned and bubbly, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before serving.
   2. VARIATIONS
      1. • Go southwestern by adding a strained 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (such as Ro-Tel) or a generous cup of your favorite salsa, drained. Use Cheddar and Jack cheeses in the sauce.
         • Smoke it up by frying 2 diced strips of bacon in the skillet before adding the milk. Skip the butter completely.
         • Add 8 ounces frozen vegetables (your choice) to the pasta pot about 5 minutes before pasta is done. Since the water will take a little time to come back up to a boil, increase the cooking time by a minute or two.
         • Don't laugh, but a couple of diced hot dogs, cooked in the butter then removed until you stir it back in with the cooked pasta, makes for a surprisingly delicious twist. Use organic, kosher, or even tofu pups.
         • Make it secretly healthy by stirring a 10-ounce package of frozen butternut squash puree, defrosted, into the cheese sauce just before adding the pasta.
      2.