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Mac ’n’ cheese with ham and pickled onions

Name: Mac ’n’ cheese with ham and pickled onions
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: macaroni 200g; butter 2 tbsp; leeks 2, white and very pale green parts only, washed and finely chopped; plain flour 2 tbsp; whole milk 500ml; Dijon mustard 3 tsp; emmental 100g, grated; mature cheddar 100g, grated; blue cheese 50g, crumbled; cooked ham 150g, chopped; pickled onions diced to make 2 tbsp; cornichons diced to make 2 tbsp; day-old bread 3 slices (about 30g); garlic ½ a clove, crushed; butter 2 tbsp, melted; parmesan 30g, grated

1 hour 15 minutes
serves 4-6
Easy

Got ham or gammon to use up from the festive season? Check out our easy macaroni and cheese recipe with cooked ham, pickled onions and three types of cheese

Published: December 10, 2018 at 8:35 pm

Ingredients

macaroni 200g
butter 2 tbsp
leeks 2, white and very pale green parts only, washed and finely chopped
plain flour 2 tbsp
whole milk 500ml
Dijon mustard 3 tsp
emmental 100g, grated
mature cheddar 100g, grated
blue cheese 50g, crumbled
cooked ham 150g, chopped
pickled onions diced to make 2 tbsp
cornichons diced to make 2 tbsp

GARLIC BREAD TOPPING

day-old bread 3 slices (about 30g)
garlic ½ a clove, crushed
butter 2 tbsp, melted
parmesan 30g, grated

Method

Step 1

Cook the macaroni until al dente, then drain, rinse under cold water and drain again.
Step 2

Melt the butter in a pan and fry the leeks for 7-10 minutes or until really soft. Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes or until well combined. Gradually stir in the milk, then 2 tsp of the mustard. Stir in the cheeses until melted, then tip in the macaroni and mix well.
Step 3

In a bowl, mix together the chopped ham, pickled onions and cornichons with the remaining dijon mustard.
Step 4

Whizz the bread in a food processor into rough breadcrumbs then toss with the remaining garlic bread topping ingredients.
Step 5

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour ¹/2 the macaroni mixture into an ovenproof baking dish. Spoon over the ham mix followed by the remaining mac. Scatter over the garlic bread topping and bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.