Mac and Cheese with Crispy Bacon and Jalapeños

Ingredients

• 50g plain flour
• 700ml whole milk
• 100ml double cream
• 50g unsalted butter
• 400g macaroni
• 200g smoked streaky bacon rashers
• 200g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
• 100g Red Leicester, coarsely grated
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 60g panko breadcrumbs
• 20g unsalted butter, melted
• 40g mature cheddar, finely grated
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced, to serve
• 60g pickled jalapeños, drained, to serve
• small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
• hot sauce, to serve

Method

1. Heat the grill to high. Cook the macaroni in a large pan of well-salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions — you want a firm bite, as it will keep cooking under the grill. Drain and set aside.
2. While the pasta cooks, lay the bacon rashers in a large ovenproof frying pan or skillet over a medium-high heat. Fry for 6–8 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp. Lift onto a board, leave to cool for a minute, then roughly chop.
3. Pour off all but a thin film of the bacon fat from the pan. Drop in the butter and let it melt over a medium heat, then scatter in the flour and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes until the roux smells biscuity and pulls away from the sides.
4. Whisk in the milk a ladleful at a time, letting each addition come together smooth before adding the next, then pour in the double cream. Cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the cheddar and Red Leicester a handful at a time until melted and glossy. Stir through the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, then season generously with salt and plenty of black pepper.
6. Fold in the drained macaroni and three-quarters of the chopped bacon, turning everything through the sauce until each piece is thickly coated.
7. In a small bowl, toss the panko with the melted butter and finely grated cheddar until the crumbs look damp and clumpy. Scatter evenly over the surface.
8. Slide the pan under the hot grill for 5–7 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the sauce is bubbling fiercely at the edges.
9. Scatter over the remaining crispy bacon, the pickled jalapeños and the sliced spring onions.
10. Finish with torn flat-leaf parsley and bring the pan straight to the table, with hot sauce alongside.