This recipe is a wholesale ripoff of the best mac-n-cheese I have ever had in my life. David Roberts of Sam and Dave's BBQ in Marietta, GA deserves all the credit for this delicious dish. This is not David's exact recipe. He's too damn smart to give away his best secrets. This is my best guess with a couple BBQgeek twists thrown in for good measure.
Ingredients
1 box Rigatoni noodles (brand of your choice), 1 pint heavy cream, 1 egg beaten, 24 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, 8 oz. swiss cheese, 8 oz. parmigiano reggiano, 4 oz. sour cream, 1/2 cup flour, salt, nutmeg
1. Bring enough salted water to boil in a large pot to cook your Rigatoni. Follow the directions on the box for consistent results. Place entire box of noodles in boiling water and boil until cooked. Do not cook to al dente consistency. Cook noodles entirely. My average cooking time is between 12 and 14 minutes.
2. While the noodles are cooking, begin to shred your cheese with a box grater. Beginning with the cheddar cheese, set aside 16 oz. of cheddar to mix with the noodles and reserve 8 oz. to top the mac-n-cheese. Shred the remaining swiss and parmigiano cheese and set aside.
3. Take the 16 oz. of shredded cheddar and place it in a mixing bowl and toss it with the 1/2 cup flour. Later, this will combine with the cream during the baking phase and help create a delicious, gooey cheese sauce.
4. Once the noodles are cooked, drain off the water and place the cooked noodles in a large (and I mean freaking large) bowl.
5. Combine the cooked noodles with the 16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese and the pint of heavy cream. Add the sour cream and combine again. By now, the noodles should be cooled down somewhat and it should be safe to toss in the egg. If the noodles still feel very hot to the touch, hold off for a few minutes. You want to avoid the possibility of cooking the egg with the hot noodles.
5. Toss in the remaining cheeses, swiss and parmigiano, and combine the contents of the bowl again. After the entire mixture is combined, it's time to season the mixture. Season the mixture with salt to taste. Then, if you are feeling daring, feel free to add some nutmeg - somewhere around a teaspoon is pretty good to my palate.
6. Dump the contents of your mixing bowl into a baking pan roughly 10" wide x 12" long x 3" deep. Top off the mac-n-cheese with the reserved 8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. The mac-n-cheese is done when you have a delicious looking, browned and crunchy surface.
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