Roasted Garlic Macaroni & Cheese

I don't normally love baked mac & cheese; I find it often tastes a little dry. This stuff was perfect, though! With the roasted garlic, this was extra special.

Ingredients:

For topping:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

For pasta and sauce:
1 head garlic, roasted (see instructions here).
1 pound uncooked pasta
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole milk works best)
5 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a bowl. Using a fork, mash the cloves into a paste.
3. Cook the pasta until al dente and drain.
4. Butter a 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
5. In a large pot, melt 1 stick butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and roasted garlic paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes until golden.
6. Add the milk in ½ cup batches, whisking constantly.
7. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking often, then reduce it to a simmer and let it cook for 3 minutes.
8. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, mustard powder, salt and pepper in small batches until well mixed.
9. Add the pasta to the pot with cheese sauce, and stir to combine.
10. Transfer the mixture to the buttered baking dish.
11. For topping, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and chives and stir. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly toasted.
12. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping onto the macaroni mixture.
13. Place baking dish on a sheet tray just in case it bubbles over while baking.
14. Bake the macaroni and cheese for 20 to 25 minutes until it's golden brown.

This recipe is based on the recipe from Just A Taste (http://www.justataste.com/2013/02/roasted-garlic-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/). I made minimal changes to this recipe; it was just that good.