Ingredients

o   1 lb macaroni elbow pasta

o   10 tbsp butter (plus more for greasing)

o   8 tbsp flour

o   1 tsp ground mustard

o   1 tsp salt

o   ¼ tsp pepper

o   2 cups whole milk

o   2 cups half & half

o   4 cups high quality shredded cheese (recommended: 2 cups cheddar, 1 cup parmesan, ½ cup goat cheese, ½ cup Gruyére/d’affinois)

o   2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1.     Preheat the oven to 400º and butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or similar size)

2.     Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (Pot 1).

3.     Melt 8 tbsp of butter over medium heat in a separate large pot (Pot 2). Once melted, add in the flour, ground mustard, salt, and pepper, whisking constantly until the mixture is bubbly, around 2 minutes. If it looks like it’s going to burn, slide the pan off the heat.

4.    Add the milk and half & half to the flour mixture in Pot 2. Increase the heat to medium high, and stir frequently for 7 minutes — the mixture should thicken.

5.    Meanwhile, add the pasta to Pot 1 and cook according to the box directions (usually 5 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander and return the pot to the stove (we’ll use it for the breadcrumbs).

6.    Add in the shredded cheese to the milk mixture in Pot 2 and stir constantly until all of the cheese has melted. Once melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked macaroni then transfer the cheesy macaroni to the prepared baking dish.

7.    Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat in the now empty pasta pot/Pot 1. Once melted, add the breadcrumbs and stir until combined then pour evenly over the cheesy macaroni in the baking dish.

8.    Bake in the oven for 20 minutes — the top should be golden brown. Let it sit out of the oven for 10 minutes before eating, if you can wait that long.