Hatch Pepper Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
• ½ cup chopped hatch chilies
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk (substitute 2 1/4 cups of 2% Milk)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/2 cups Henning's Hatch Pepper Heritage Cheddar, grated 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Cook macaroni. Melt butter. 
3. Add flour to melted butter, stirring constantly for 2 minutes over medium heat. 
4. Stir in milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper. 
5. Add cheese and whisk constantly until thick and smooth over medium heat. 
6. Add pasta, pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 
7. For creamier mac and cheese - bake less and for hard and crunchy - bake up to 1 hour. 

How to Roast Hatch Chiles

• First, put on a pair of plastic gloves. Hatch chiles can be spicy! Don’t touch your mouth or eyes after handling them!
• Next, wash the chiles and pat dry. Roast chiles whole or slit lengthwise to remove seeds. 

Then use one of these roasting methods:

1. On the grill or over gas stove: Place peppers directly on the grill/stove flames until the skin blisters and becomes slightly charred on all sides.
2. In the oven: Place chiles on a baking sheet in the oven on high-heat broiler setting—about 5 inches from the broiler element—until the skin blisters and becomes slightly charred on all sides.
3. Once the skin is evenly charred, place hot roasted chiles in a paper or plastic bag, or a bowl covered with plastic wrap or a towel. Let the chiles “sweat” for 15 minutes. The steam will help loosen the skin.
4. Peel off the skin and use the chiles in your recipe.