This recipe combines the hearty warmth of bacon and eggs with a rich and gooey mac and cheese. Cream cheese and cheddar come together to make a smooth and stable cheese sauce. Stir in crispy bacon and cooked elbows, top with poached eggs and a sprinkle of everything seasoning, then bake until bubbly. Add some potato sticks for a fun and crispy finish.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain well and set aside. Fill the empty pasta pot with 2 to 3 inches of fresh water and bring to a low simmer over medium heat.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large wide pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel–lined plate with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until smooth and lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then continue cooking, whisking occasionally until steaming, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cream cheese until melted and smooth. Reduce the heat to low and gradually whisk in the cheddar in batches, waiting for the cheese to melt before adding more. Whisk until smooth.
Remove the cheese sauce from the heat and stir in the cooked pasta. Stir in the bacon and 3/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and season with salt and pepper.
Add the vinegar to the simmering water in the pasta pot; adjust the heat if needed so there are only a few small bubbles. Crack 3 eggs into small cups and tip them into the water. Poach, gently gathering the egg whites around the yolks with a spoon, until the whites are set but the yolks are very soft, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel–lined plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining 3 eggs.
Stir the mac and cheese, adding more cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Transfer the mac and cheese to the prepared baking dish. Use a spoon to make a well on top for each poached egg, then nestle in the eggs; sprinkle with the everything seasoning. Bake until the edges are bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then top with the potato sticks.
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Photograph by Ryan Liebe
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