Mac 'N' Cheese Pie

Carbs on top of carbs.. Its a perfect combination and not for the faint hearted.

SERVES: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

200 grams dry cured bacon, sliced

+ 400g of any sausage meat (I used a gluten free pork sausage)

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 

3 cloves garlic, crushed

30 grams butter

3 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons cream

1¼ cups whole milk

250 grams grated cheddar

sea salt and ground pepper

200 grams macaroni elbows

320 grams ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

TOPPING
3 tablespoons butter
100 grams sourdough,crusts removed

METHOD

Equipment: Spray the base and sides of a 20cm springform cake tin very lightly with cooking oil spray and brush to coat the sides.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon, sausage and onion for 10 minutes until the bacon is coloured and the onion softened. Add garlic and rosemary and cook for another 2 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a saucepan until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Cook over a gentle heat, adding the cream, then the milk in 3 lots, whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth. Remove from the heat and add 200 grams of the cheddar. Season and whisk until smooth, returning to the heat briefly if necessary. Add the bacon mixture and set aside.

Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and add to the sauce. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

Cut strips of pastry, to the same height as the cake tin. As you use these to line the sides of the tin, position them 1cm lower than the top of the tin, so that some pastry is resting on the base of the cake tin. Cut a circle to fit the base of the tin, and press the pastry to join the bits that overlap, to create a stable pie base. Spoon the cooled mac ’n’ cheese into the tin.

Topping: Butter the sourdough slices and cut into 2–3cm cubes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the filling, top with sourdough and cook for 40 minutes until golden.