A Thousand Miles From The Place I Was Born

The other night for dinner, I made the MOST DELICIOUS recipe! It was by Rachael Ray, but I hope you’ll overlook that and try it anyway, because it truly was tasty! So tasty, in fact, that we inhaled it as soon as it came out of the oven and I didn’t get any good pictures of it all golden and bubbly in the casserole dish. I didn’t even think of taking a picture of it until we were sitting down to the leftovers the next day, so a shot of it on my plate was the best I could do for you. It’s also one of those recipes that tastes MUCH better than it looks in a photograph. In any event, TRY THIS RECIPE! Your family will thank me!

Baked Macaroni and Gouda with Sausage

1 pound macaroni
1 1/2 pounds uncooked sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 1/2 cups caramelized onions (2 large – see my NOTE)
1 quart whole milk
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons flour
3/4 pound aged gouda cheese, grated (about 4 cups)
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean. Add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine. In a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming. Return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer. Add 2 1/2 cups cheese, remove from heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine. Butter a 9 x 13″ baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1 1/2 cups cheese on top. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

ANDI’S NOTE: This recipe doesn’t explain how to make caramelized onions, but they are very easy. You’ll want to start them before you begin the rest of the recipe, because they take around 30 minutes to properly caramelize. Start by thinly slicing both onions and set them aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions and toss in the butter/oil mixture. Sprinkle them with a little bit of salt and let them cook over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes or however long it takes to get them all soft and golden brown. Make sure you stir them occasionally so they caramelize evenly and don’t burn. When you’re done, you can transfer them to a bowl and continue with the recipe by adding the sausage to the same skillet.