Cook the pasta

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the macaroni until al dente, then drain.

Brown the sausage

• Sear the sliced smoked sausage in a frying pan until browned and crisp at the edges.

Make the cheese sauce

• Melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook briefly.
• Pour in the milk and whisk until smooth and thickened.
• Stir in the cheddar, smoked paprika, salt and pepper until melted.

Combine and top

• Fold the macaroni, sausage and cheese sauce together in a baking dish.
• Mix the crushed Ritz crackers with melted butter and scatter over the top.

Bake

• Bake until the topping is golden and the mac is bubbling.

Honey hot sauce

• Whisk the honey and hot sauce together.
• Drizzle over the baked mac before serving.