Mac ‘n cheese fish finger bake

Cheese Sauce

Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine and create a roux. Cook the roux while stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes until it is blonde in colour and smells nutty.

Add the milk a little at a time, whisking and fully incorporating after each addition, creating a creamy bechamel sauce.

Remove the sauce from the stove and add the cheeses to the pot, reserve a small handful for the top. Let the cheese sit in the hot sauce for a minute to start melting and then whisk to incorporate.

Pasta

Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.

Add a pot of salted water to the stove and bring up to a boil. Add the dried macaroni. Boil the macaroni for 2 minutes less than the recommended cooking time on the packaging, as the pasta will finish cooking in the oven as it bakes.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup (250 ml) of the pasta water.

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix to combine. Add a little of the pasta water to thin the sauce to the desired consistency, use only what you need. Pour the cheesy macaroni into an ovenproof casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining reserved cheese on top.

Lay frozen fish fingers evenly on the top of the macaroni and place into the oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the fish fingers are golden and crunchy.

To Serve

Remove the dish from the oven and top with grated Parmesan and chopped chives. Serve immediately.