Ingredients :
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- ½ cup butter divided, plus extra for buttering the dish
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk hot
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded
- Hot sauce to taste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Directions :
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 2 ½ quart or larger casserole dish. Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain well. Do not overcook and do not rinse macaroni.
- Return pot to stovetop. Over medium heat, melt 6 tablespoons butter until foaming. Whisk in flour and cook until bubbling but not browned, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until melted.
- Fold in macaroni and stir until uniformly combined. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce, if desired. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
- In a medium bowl, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in microwave. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add breadcrumbs and toss until evenly coated.
- Pour breadcrumbs over macaroni. Bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs have browned, 30 to 40 minutes.
