Loaded baked potato lasagna, from scratch

Poke six potatoes with a fork and roast at 375F for about an hour, cover with a towel and cool about 10 minutes.

Peel the potatoes while hot and rice them into a smooth fluffy mass, then spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and cool completely so more moisture evaporates.

Spread the riced potato on a work surface, sprinkle with 75 percent of its weight in flour, drizzle with the beaten egg and egg yolk and fold together with a bench scraper.

Knead the dough for a long time, adding flour generously if sticky, to develop as much gluten as possible; after about 15 minutes wrap it in plastic and rest it.

Laminate the rested dough, rolling it out, sprinkling with flour, folding it up and rolling again, until it is strong enough to roll into thin lasagna noodles. He says this was not worth the effort and recommends a fresh pasta dough with a third of the flour swapped for potato flour.

Heat the bacon fat over medium heat until shimmering.

Whisk in the flour and cook about one minute, then slowly stream in the whole milk and buttermilk.

Season with salt and black pepper, add the bay leaves, whisk frequently and cook three to five minutes over medium heat until thick, then strain out the solids and cool.

Brown the ground beef in batches for good colour and drain on paper towels.

In the beef fat, saute the diced onion three to five minutes until coloured, add the tomato paste and crushed garlic and saute about 30 seconds.

Add the chili powder, chipotle chili powder and sweet paprika and toast about 30 seconds, then add the beef broth and scrape the bottom of the pot.

Add the crushed tomatoes, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce and the browned beef, bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook gently 35 to 45 minutes until thick.

Stir about a pound of chopped cooked bacon into the chili.

Assemble: chili, then the pasta sheets, chili, the bacon fat buttermilk bechamel, then shredded white cheddar; repeat until the pan is full.

Tent loosely with foil so it does not touch the cheese and bake at 375F for one hour 15 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15.

Run a spatula around the outside and rest at least 30 minutes before slicing.

For a clean slice, cool completely, cut, reheat in the microwave and crisp in the oven.

Serve with chopped scallions.