Author Adapted by Lisa Fain from The Mac & Cheese Cookbook
Ingredients
8ounceselbow macaroni
3hot dogs
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
2clovesgarlicminced
2tablespoonsall-purpose flour
2cupswhole milk
12ounces3 cups shredded yellow Cheddar
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
1/2teaspoonblack pepper
1/4teaspoonmustard powder
¼teaspooncayenne
½cupchopped pickled jalapeños
2cupslightly crushed jalapeño potato chips
Instructions
Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender. Drain and rinse.
Meanwhile, cut the hot dogs in half lengthwise. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large oven-proof skillet on medium-high heat. Place the hot dogs in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, turning once, or until beginning to darken on each side. Remove the hot dogs.
Turn the heat in the skillet down to medium-low and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds then stir in the flour. While stirring, cook until the flour is beginning to brown, about 1 minute.
Pour in the milk, and while stirring cook until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the cheese, a handful at a time, stirring until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the salt, pepper, mustard powder, and cayenne. Turn off the heat.
Turn on the broiler and position a rack 4 inches away from the heating element. Cut the hot dogs into smaller pieces. Stir into the sauce the drained macaroni, hot dogs, and jalapeños. Taste and adjust seasonings, if you like. (Be careful with the salt, however, as the chips and hot dogs will also be salty.)
Cover the macaroni evenly with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and then place under the broiler until the top is bubbling, a couple of minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven and top with the crushed potato chips. Serve warm.
Notes
It’s important to grate your own cheese! Pre-shredded cheese in a bag has fillers to prevent it from clumping that also keep it from melting smoothly into the sauce, so I don’t recommend using it.