Recipe: Poole's mac and cheese

If I can make this, you can make it!

Posted 2:15 p.m. Dec 16, 2015 — Updated 2:15 p.m. Dec 16, 2015

RALEIGH, N.C. — I found the recipe for Poole's Diner's famous mac and cheese and I knew I had to try making it for the holidays.

On Thanksgiving, I got to work and discovered it isn't nearly as difficult as I had expected.

Here's the recipe chef Ashley Christensen shared with Food Republic last year:

Poole’s Diner Mac And Cheese

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Recipe serves four

Ingredients

3 cups heavy cream
1/2 pound macaroni, cooked al dente and drained
1 cup Jarlsberg, shredded and divided
1 cup Grana Padano, shredded and divided (I couldn't find this cheese, but got a similar one at Whole Foods)
3 cups white cheddar, shredded and divided
sea salt, to taste

Directions

I did all of my cheese shredding and grating the night before to save time.
Set a rack in the oven about 4 inches from the broiler, and preheat broiler.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, reduce cream by a fourth.
Lower heat to medium.
Stir in the macaroni and 3/4 cup each of the Jarlsberg, Grana Padano and white cheddar.
Stir with a wooden spoon while tossing the contents of the pan in a saute motion.
Transfer mixture to a baking dish
If you want to add extra ingredients (i.e. roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions), they should be layered between the pasta and the cheese topping that follows.
Sprinkle the remaining Jarlsberg, Grana Padano and white cheddar over the top, distributing them evenly.
Place the dish under the broiler. Watch it carefully, as you will need to rotate the dish to create an even crust. This will take from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler.
Remove gratin from the oven and season with fresh cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.