Bakin' Bacon Mac And Cheese

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Put a full pot of water with 1/2 cup of salt on high, with a lid.

Start your cast iron or other oven safe pan at medium and add 6 pieces of bacon, cooking until desired texture and doneness.

Meanwhile, peel and cut one onion into thin (julienne) slices.

Once bacon is ready, remove from pan with tongs and add onion to the pan, stirring.

Slice the bacon into chunks, and stir the onion until translucent, a little browning is ok but not too dark.

Add 5 tbsp of flour, one at a time, until the bacon fat is absorbed.

(At any time if the water in the pot begins to boil you may add your 2 cups of macaroni to it, putting a 6 minute timer on your oven or phone once you do!)

Once roux (flour and oil) have cooked a bit, you can deglaze the pan with white wine or lemon juice.

Begin adding milk, one cup at a time, whisking the roux as you do to prevent lumps. Wait until each cup comes to a boil before adding the next.

(Make sure to stir your macaroni as it might stick to the bottom of the pot!)

Add the mustard, one cup of the cheese, and pepper. I used lemon pepper but any kind works. You can also taste the sauce at this point and make sure the salt and pepper are to your liking, and adjust if necessary.

Once the timer goes off for the Macaroni, drain it into a strainer that you can put in the sink.

Add the Macaroni to the sauce, stirring it in, and add the bacon chunks back in.

Cover with cheese and bake at 400 for 30-40 mins depending on your oven. We are looking for golden brown melty cheese on top.

Remove from oven and sit to cool for 5 mins, serve on a hot plate pad and use a spoon or spatula to serve!