Cheeseburger and beef stroganoff casserole

Bring four to five quarts of water to a boil, add a strong grip of salt and 340 g of large macaroni.

Boil about six minutes to just about al dente, since overcooked noodles make the casserole mushy, then drain them and drop them into the largest bowl.

Toss the macaroni with a few pours of olive oil and let it cool.

Drop one pound of 90-10 ground beef into a medium high Dutch oven with a pinch of salt and brown it, smashing it down for the first five to six minutes until no chunk is bigger than a grain of rice.

Add 125 g of diced onion, 20 g of minced garlic and another small pinch of salt and stir, scraping up the browned beef stuck to the bottom, about five minutes until the onions are softened and translucent.

Add 450 g of sliced baby bella mushrooms cut about a quarter inch thick and a small pinch of salt and sweat them down five to eight minutes.

Once the bottom of the pot glazes up, add some water and loosen it with the wooden spoon to deglaze, scrape for another minute and keep cooking four to five more until the mushrooms start to brown and the onions have melted.

Add a 25 g dollop of tomato paste and 50 g of all purpose flour and stir the lumps out to something roux adjacent.

Add 300 g of beef stock, 40 g of worch, 50 g of roasted beef base, 30 g of Dijon and 225 g of heavy cream, bring to a simmer and cook about two minutes to unify.

Off the heat, stir in 75 g of sour cream; boiling it would curdle it and make the sauce grainy. The sauce should look like a slightly loose mushroomy beef gravy.

Scrape the sauce over the macaroni, add 200 g of shredded mozzarella and 50 g of grated parm and stir, loosening with a splash of water if it looks pasty.

Transfer to the dish and top with store bought crispy fried onions run through with a knife three or four times so they integrate.

Dust with a couple of grips of grated parm.

Bake at 425F about 25 minutes until melty and bubbly and the onions have browned a little further.