Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite recipes for Fall. My go-to has always been Kerrygold’s recipe. I mean, if you’re making Irish Mac and Cheese, you need to go full Irish on ingredients. However, I like to experiment and it’s fun to change up the taste.
Instead of all Kerrygold cheeses, I only used Dubliner. For Cheddar, I used Cabot’s Extra Sharp and for Swiss, I used Emmentaler AOP. Of course, I used Kerrygold butter….there is no other.
I’ve never been a fan of Elbow Macaroni. It just doesn’t hold up for me. I now use DeCecco Cavatappi no. 87 cooked al dente though that is said to be overcooked in the pasta world. It’s a nice, hearty corkscrew shaped pasta. It holds up really well with the cheese. I prefer the texture, too.
There are lots of flavors out there so don’t be afraid to experiment. Try different spices, add bacon, different cheeses, vegetables, Guinness, dijon mustard….its a dish with unlimited possibilities.
Irish Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large bowl
- Large spoon
Ingredients
- 1 pound Cavatappi no. 87 or other pasta, cooked al dente and cooled
- 4 tbsp Kerrygold Butter
- 1 cup onion diced
- pinch of sugar
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- salt & pepper
- 1 cup Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated
- 1 cup Emmentaler Swiss Cheese grated
- 1½ cups Kerrygold Dubliner grated
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp fresh sage chopped
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to directions and set aside to cool.
- In a skillet, melt Kerrygold Butter over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and lightly season with salt. Add a pinch of sugar and cook until translucent.
- Add flour, cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not brown.
- Add milk and cream, mix completely.
- Bring to a simmer, add bay leaf and cloves.
- Reduce heat to low, cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and remove bay leaf.
- Stir in 1 cup of Cheddar and 1 cup of Swiss cheese.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Combine pasta and cheese sauce in a large bowl.
- Spoon in half of the mixture into a 2 ½-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of the sage and what's left of the Cheddar and Swiss cheeses. Spoon the remaining mixture on top, sprinkle with the remaining sage.
- Top with Dubliner, then breadcrumbs.
- Bake at 375° F for 10 minutes. Broil a few minutes until the top is golden brown.
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment on Facebook or Instagram and tag with @morganskitchn and #morganskitchn.