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Every fall, we all go crazy and stuff pumpkin into absolutely everything. Coffee, cereal, dog treats. Seriously, the dog doesn't even know it's October. He was licking his ass five minutes ago. But today we'll add it where it really belongs. I'm not the biggest fan of pumpkin. I love looking at them seeing them carved. I don't like them after Halloween, when they're soft, disgusting, and have melted candle wax inside. Pumpkin spice latte. I do n't understand this. I don't understand all this pumpkin craze in drinks and the spice part. No. But this is a pumpkin. This is not pumpkin spice. We make this with pumpkin puree. If you want to grow your own pumpkin, then scoop it out, slowly bake it, and mash it. This is your business. Or you can just buy a can of
this stuff. This is my favorite way. But oh well. Crispy breadcrumbs with sage, bacon, onions-yes, please. This will be fantastic. OK. We need to prepare something, so let's go. Okay, put the pan on the fire, and here's the bacon. Look, he's pretty fat. I like it. I like that you can feel the bacon piece when you eat it. Sometimes, if you take very thin regular bacon, by the time it's fried and goes into a large dish, it's like there's nothing left. So these pieces will be good. Fry until it releases all the fat and starts to become crispy. I think bacon that isn't overcooked tastes better than bacon that's falling apart. Here, this is perfect. Ideally.
Okay. Turn off the fire. Place the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Okay. Set aside. I don't need that much bacon grease. I'll leave a tablespoon somewhere for the onions. Wait. Put it back on the heat and add the onion. Let's give it a couple of minutes to start softening. You can add butter or leftover bacon fat. Let's add three tablespoons, that's just perfect. Look, this is all I had. Now add a little flour on top and mix. We want the white color of the flour to disappear. I'll give smells wonderful. Now it's time for milk.
You know, when we make a roux, I like to add a little at a time and stir so that the roux stays smooth. If you pour it all at once, lumps will form, which is bad. So, I see that the mixture is thickening. This is normal. So let's add a little more. Just keep going until you're done. Time to use the whisk. Kate, time to throw the pasta in the water while this is thickening and look what I'm using. Penne, unusual egg noodles, and small penne. I had the packs open and I thought, "For God's sake, man. Let's start using them." I can't think of anything more fun than the mix of different pastas in this mac and cheese. Is it necessary to use only one thing? No. Will it look cooler? Absolutely. So, I'm going to throw them in boiling water, cook them about a minute
less than al dente. Maybe a minute or two less than what is indicated on the package. Well, look how beautifully it bubbles and thickens. Time to add a few ingredients. First, a little Dijon mustard. That's it. And mix it with a whisk. This will add a wonderful savory flavor. And now I'll go back to my little shovel. Cheese time. I have two types. Monterey Jack and sharp white cheddar. A little bit of both. As with milk, add the cheese in small portions.
Let it melt before adding more. Perfectly. Sharp cheddar. What is needed. Okay, pumpkin puree time. Let's start adding it. Look how luxurious it is. This color. Mamma mia. This makes me happy. And a little cayenne pepper. Oh, well, that's it. A little spicy with a hint of sweetness. This is perfect. And let's not forget about salt and pepper. Very important. We are almost there. Okay. Time to mix it all up in another pot, which I could have started with, but I'm stupid and forgot. So listen carefully.
This is what we do. We have a mixing bowl. Here is our drained pasta. And now our wonderful pumpkin masa, this cheese-melted madness. Let's mix things up a bit. I saved some of the pasta water. I just want Remember our bacon? Let's bring it here. And let's take a baking dish. This will be a cast iron skillet from Cooking Guy. I should have done this from the beginning, but I forgot. Let's put it inside. Now look at this technique. These are Very good. And this is sage. It will add wonderful autumn notes and fill everything with flavor. And a little melted butter. Now it needs to be mixed.
Mix thoroughly. Don't spill it. And now this. We are back. I left some bacon. And now let's lovingly reveal it from above. Oh, I smell sage. I can smell Parmesan. This will be the world's best mac and cheese for this time of year. And for any time of year. Is there anything that needs to be anointed with anger? And that's it. Oven at 375 degrees. Let it sit for about half an hour until it becomes fantastic. And in 30 minutes, look at this. Well, because. I'd trade that for all the stupid pumpkin lattes on the planet. For everyone to one. Look. Oh my Wow. Look at yourself, little piece. Let's go.
Hello, pumpkin bacon. Hello, pumpkin and bacon mac and cheese. OK. Do you hear that crunch? This is panko. Sage on panko-it's incredible. Bacon is fantastic. But I will tell you that the pumpkin puree here feels the most wonderful and wonderful way. I think there's too much pumpkin in those pumpkin things. There's too much of it there. Here is just the right amount of pumpkin. I could stand and eat this all day. OK. I love you. Thank you for being with me. Do it. Hey, Halloween is the perfect night to make this. It will be cold, I hope it will be cold. Before you go collecting sweets, serve this, invite your neighbors.
Let everyone have a treat. And then go outside. See you later. Happy Halloween or whatever.
