NYT Crusty Mac and Cheese

I made the New York Times’ Crusty Mac and Cheese recipe last night. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. Now, granted, I didn’t add the full 2 cups of cheese on top, and I cooked it for slightly less time than it said, but it ended up kind of bland. I doubled the pepper it called for – next time I might double that. I ended up using all cheddar, Trader Joe’s Pre-shredded Sharp Cheddar, to be exact. Believe it or not it’s the cheapest cheese they have. The cheddar flavor was prominent which is really exactly what I was looking for. It’s mostly the ‘crusty’ topping I’m disappointed in. It ended up crusty, yes, but only because the noodles on the top were burned and the cheese had hardened. Once you get past the top, it was nice. Nothing amazing, but nice. Oh, I also substituted penne pasta for elbow macaroni – I had penne on hand. That substitution ended up working well, as did my decision to add some nutmeg. All in all, this is a decent mac and cheese that was made about 20 times better with the addition of Trader Joe’s Peach Salsa – that stuff is a godsend. Anyhow, here’s my (modified) recipe, based off of theirs. Would I make it again? Probably not like this, but I think what I look for in Mac and Cheese might be different than what they're drying to make.

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
3 tablespoons butter
24 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (minus two cups)
1 pound penne pasta, boiled in salted water until just tender, drained, and rinsed under cold water
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Set aside a handful of cheese.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheese, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt to taste. Place in prepared pan and evenly pour milk over surface. Sprinkle reserved cheese on top, dot with remaining butter and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes. Raise heat to 400 degrees and bake 15 to 20 minutes more, until crusty on top and bottom.
Yield: 8 to 12 servings.