Mac and Cheese with Ham

Last full week of August. The light has started to change in the specific way I love: less white, more gold, the sun lower in the sky by five o'clock and the shadows longer. The azalea bushes outside my apartment have gone green and unremarkable again and will stay that way until spring, which I accept as the terms of the arrangement.

I have been planning Tyler's birthday dinner. He turns thirty on September tenth and I want to do something that is specifically his, not just my usual Sunday spread but something that understands what he likes and how he eats. He loves meat cooked with smoke and time. He loves Debbie's food but not in an uncritical way, in the way of someone who was raised by good cooking and knows the difference. He has strong opinions about sweet tea, about hot sauce, about whether a biscuit should be flaky or tender (tender, he says, always tender). I have been taking notes since April.

I am going to make a whole smoked brisket. I have never done it. I have cooked brisket in the oven in a braise, which is reliable and good, but smoke-cooked brisket requires a real smoker and the right wood and patience measured in hours rather than minutes. Roy has offered me the use of his smoker. He said come over Saturday and I will show you how to use it. I said I would be there Saturday. Tyler looked at both of us and said I cannot believe my dad is teaching my girlfriend to smoke a brisket for my birthday and Roy said yes he is.

You cannot smoke a whole brisket for the man you love and then set it on the table next to nothing. A birthday dinner like this one needs a side that has been cooked with the same kind of care—something rich and golden-crusted and unapologetically tender, the way Tyler insists all the best things should be. So while the brisket rests under foil on Roy’s back porch, I am making mac and cheese with ham, because it is the dish that says I planned this whole meal with you in mind.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
2 cups diced ham
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted (for topping)

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the elbow macaroni one minute short of the package directions so it stays firm. Drain and set aside.
Make the cheese sauce. In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking and continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the cheese. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the cheddar and Gruyère until fully melted and smooth. Add the Dijon mustard, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Combine. Fold the cooked macaroni and diced ham into the cheese sauce until everything is evenly coated. Transfer to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish if not already in an oven-safe pan.
Add the topping. Toss the panko breadcrumbs with the 2 tablespoons melted butter. Scatter evenly over the top of the mac and cheese.
Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mac and Cheese with Ham — The Side Dish Worthy of Tyler’s Thirtieth