Classic Southern Comfort….with Ham. This ain’t my Momma’s Mac N Cheese.

You don’t mess with a time-tested, family approved recipe until you have good reason.    My reason was ham, leftover ham to be exact. For Christmas dinner we had this lovely, twelve pound ham; hickory smoked, slow baked and glazed with honey and stone ground mustard.  We ate ham for weeks afterwards-ham with the leftover sides, ham sandwiches with smoked Gouda and homemade tartar sauce, ham and eggs, deviled ham, we even used the bone to make soup.    Two adults, twelve pounds of ham, you do the math.   Finally with only about a pound left, we exiled it to the freezer, thinking Eggs Benedict, grilled ham and cheese, but at a later time, maybe in a month or so.  
Every two or three months I try to clean out my freezer and that’s what leads me to embellish   our traditional family Mac N Cheese recipe.   The one her grandmother taught her, the one she taught me. I knew was messing with generations of Southerners; hardworking, god-fearing, every given Sunday mac n cheese kinda   people,  but sometimes you just  have embrace change especially if ham’s involved.  It was “pasta” Wednesday.  I found a lone red pepper peeking through the vegetable bin.  What else could I do?  So with a heavy heart and that curious sense of culinary adventure I dug in.

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Baked Mac N Cheese with Ham   
RECIPE
Prep time   40 minutes
Total time    1 hour,   15 minutes
Serves 12

HAM MIXTURE
2 T butter
2 T garlic, minced
1/2 C chopped onion
½ C chopped red pepper
12 oz. chopped ham
1 lb. dried macaroni

CHEESE SAUCE
½ C butter
6 T flour
5 C milk
2 T kosher salt
½ t white pepper
1 t black pepper
1/8 t nutmeg
1 ½ T mustard powder
7 C coarsely grated Colby Jack and extra-sharp cheddar cheese plus 1 C for topping
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 T parsley, finely chopped

Special Equipment
9 by 13 inch baking dish

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle of oven.  Butter the baking dish.  Set a large pot of salted water over high heat to boil.

HAM MIXTURE- melt 2 T butter in a medium saucepan. Sauté garlic, onions and peppers over medium high heat for   3 minutes, until onions are transparent, add ham and set aside.
Add macaroni to boiling salted water and cook until just al dente.  Drain macaroni, return to pot and stir in sour cream and ham mixture.

CHEESE SAUCE – melt ½ C butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.  Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to incorporate.  Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until roux is light golden, about 5 minutes.  Gradually pour in milk, whisking constantly to incorporate.  Raise temperature to medium-high and bring sauce to a low boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce to a simmer, whisking until béchamel sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard powder.   Add cheeses in three batches, stirring until each addition is completely melted before adding more.   Stir in the beaten egg yolks.
Add the cheese sauce to the macaroni mixture to coat.   Transfer macaroni mixture to the buttered baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining cup of cheeses and chopped parsley over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 30-35 minutes.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving.