Macaroni and Cheese

This is definitely not your .59 box of Kraft! It is a bit pricy because of the cheese and more work but it is a nice change. We had this at a work party and it was really good (obviously, it is not the healthiest of dinners):) Hope you enjoy!

1 Head of Roasted Garlic (cut top off head of garlic, wrap in foil with olive oil, bake at 350 for 45 min. then make into a paste)
1 tsp olive oil

1 lbs Cavatappi pasta (type of pasta) I only found this in whole wheat so I use shells instead
½ lbs sliced Applewood smoked bacon (I use 1 lbs…because I like bacon)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, no crust) I use Italian bread
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I couldn’t find this cheese so I used a freshly grated Parmesan Romano blend (not kraft))
8 Tbs butter
¼ cup minced shallots
½ cup flour
1 quart whole milk
6 oz Gruyere cheese, grated
8 oz Extra Sharp cheddar, grated
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg (I use about an 1/8 of tsp of bottled nutmeg)

Roast garlic
Cook pasta
Cook bacon. Drain on paper towel. Reserve 1Tbs bacon fat. Crumble bacon when cool (I chop in a food processor so it is finer)
Topping (I also combine all of these in a food processor, just makes it easier) combine breadcrumbs, bacon, parmigiano reggino cheese and 2 Tbs melted butter
Preheat oven to 375
Saute shallots in bacon fat on low heat for 1 min. Add 6 Tbs butter and sauté until translucent.
Add flour and cook 1-2 min. Increase heat to medium. Stir contantly with a wisk, add milk and garlic paste and cook until thick (sticks to wisk).
Remove sauce from heat then add salt, pepper, nutmeg and other cheeses.
Stir in pasta.
Pour into baking dish, sprinkle with topping cover with foil and bake 15 min
Remove foil and bake until topping browns