Pumpkin Sausage Mac and Cheese

1. First, prepare the bechamel base for the cheese sauce. Take the onion half and lay the bay leaves across its open face. Push the cloves through the bay leaves into the onion to hold them in place.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the flour and butter and heat it over medium heat. Stir the butter and flour together until it is a thick, uniform roux mixture. Slowly add the milk into the pan while you keep stirring. Add the prepared onion pique and nutmeg, then reduce the heat to medium low to let the sauce gently cook and thicken for 20 minutes.
3. While the sauce cooks, get a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil for the shells. Then slice the chorizo sausage links into thin rounds. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the sausage rounds and brown them until they are completely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set the pan aside. Meanwhile, pour the shells into the pot of boiling water and cook them until tender, about 8 minutes.
4. The bechamel sauce should be ready by this point. Remove the onion pique and discard it. Add the grated cheeses, pumpkin puree, pumpkin beer and salt to taste. Stir it all together and take the saucepan off of the heat.
5. Drain the shells, which should be done by this point. Transfer them back into the pot that they cooked in. Pour the cheese sauce over the shells and add the cooked chorizo sausage rounds. Stir it all together to thoroughly coat everything in the sauce.
6. Scoop the pumpkin sausage mac and cheese into bowls and serve it immediately. Enjoy!