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Southern-style mac ‘n’ cheese

Southern-style mac ‘n’ cheese, with sweet potato, served in a large dish

Southern-style mac ‘n’ cheese

Name: Southern-style mac ‘n’ cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 4-6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 400g sweet potatoes (1 large or 2 small); 1½ tbsp olive oil; ¼ tsp ground cayenne; 35g butter; 50g plain flour; 600ml whole milk; 3 tsp American mustard (or 2 tsp English mustard); generous grating nutmeg; 135g mature cheddar grated; 225g macaroni

Diana Henry

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Serves 4-6

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 45 mins

A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.34 ratingsRate

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Round out this cheesy pasta classic with roasted sweet potato, a staple food in the southern US states, and turn up the temperature with a pinch of cayenne

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

400g sweet potatoes

(1 large or 2 small)
1½ tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground cayenne
35g butter
50g plain flour
600ml whole milk
3 tsp American mustard

(or 2 tsp English mustard)
generous grating nutmeg
135g mature cheddar

grated
225g macaroni

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Nutrition: Per serving (6)

kcal462
fat20g
saturates11g
carbs52g
sugars9g
fibre4g
protein15g
salt1g

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into small bite-sized chunks. Toss in a 20cm gratin dish with the olive oil, cayenne and some seasoning. Roast for 25-30 mins, or until golden and soft, tossing occasionally.
step 2

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Stir together to make a roux, and cook for a couple of mins. Remove from the heat, then slowly pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Turn the heat down, add the mustard and nutmeg, and season well. Add in most of the cheese (keep some for the top) and continue to stir. Taste for seasoning. Keep on a low heat so it stays warm until the macaroni is ready.
step 3

Cook the macaroni in boiling, lightly salted water for a couple of minutes less than it says on the packet. Drain (reserve some of the pasta cooking water), then stir the pasta and cooked sweet potato into the cheese sauce. The mixture should be quite thick, but add a little of the pasta cooking water to loosen if necessary. Taste for seasoning.
step 4

Tip the mixture into the gratin dish, then scatter over the rest of the cheese and return to the oven. Bake for about 20-30 mins, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2018

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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.34 ratings

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