Hearty enough to satisfy anyone on a cold day, this dish can be considered the Swiss version of pasta al forno. We’ve omitted the applesauce that’s typically served with the dish since not everyone loves the taste combination. Feeling adventurous? Make yourself a batch of fresh applesauce and serve on the same plate as the macaroni.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Boil the potatoes in their skin, when tender remove from the pot and let cool. In the same pot used before, boil the penne in salted water until it is mostly cooked (approx. 4 minutes). The rule of thumb for salting water is that it should taste like the sea. Remove penne from water and place in casserole dish, dot with 1 tb. butter to ensure it does not stick together.
Peel onions and cut into thin slices. In a large frying pan heat the butter and sauté the onions until soft, then add bacon, garlic. Cook this mix on medium until the bacon had some color. Be careful not to burn the garlic since burnt garlic will ruin any other flavor it comes into contact with.
Moisten with cream and cook on low until the cream is reduced a little bit (about 5 mins.). Stir in the (cooked) macaroni, slice the potatoes and stir into pan. Reheat. Grate the cheese, stir it in the pasta mixture, and put back into the casserole dish. If it doesn’t seem ‘wet’ enough, dot with some more butter.
Bake the pasta for about 15-20 minutes or until its bubbly and golden brown.
