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1
Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan, add the bacon, and bring the pan to medium heat; stir the bacon occasionally.
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2
When its brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes, remove it from the pan, drain on paper towels, and reserve that deliciousness.
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3
Do not discard the bacon fat!
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4
Add the butter and onion to the pan with the fat, season with salt, and cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes.
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5
Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes or until the mixture looks like wet sand.
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6
Slowly whisk in the milk, season with salt, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes more or until the mixture is slightly thicker than heavy cream.
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7
In the meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
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8
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the instructions on the package suggest.
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9
Taste it: It should be toothsome with just a little nugget of hard pasta still in the centerthis is al dente.
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10
Drain the pasta and reserve.
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11
Add the Cheddar, Fontina, and Parmigiano to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
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12
Add the mustard and a few shakes of Tabasco; taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding a little more milk if the mixture seems too thick.
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13
Stir in the cooked bacon and pasta.
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14
The mixture should be very creamy and flavorful.
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15
Serve immediately or transfer to a baking dish or ramekins and reheat in a 375F.
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16
oven.
