Fried Mac and Cheese

I am not a big lover of mac and cheese.  But I am a lover of fried foods.  It is something that gets me every time I go to a fair or carnival and even family events. The sounds of this is going to change my mind about the mac and cheese.  I will most definitely try making this in the next couple of weeks. 

Fried mac and cheese - who could resist at least one try.  From the photos that I have seen, you can form the cheesy pasta into balls to dip and fry.  Or you could firmly press the pasta mix into a pan, let it cool, cut into squares or triangles, then dip and fry.  One thing that is very inviting about this concept is that the shapes are frozen and could probably be left in the freezer for a while and removed when ready to dip and fry.  These could be done ahead of time when you know you are going to have a really busy week. 

And I am sure I will try a couple of times since the grand kids will love this treat.

 
Here's the recipe I found on line that seems to be granny friendly.

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, warmed, plus 2 tablespoons for egg wash
1 pound grated Cheddar
1 pound grated smoked Gouda
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
3 cups seasoned bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying
Marinara or Alfredo sauce, to serve



Directions

Cook the macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again and set aside. 

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour into the butter and stir it with a whisk. Cook for 2 minutes. Whisk the warmed milk into the flour mixture, working out any lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until melted and smooth; season with salt and pepper. Fold the cheese sauce into macaroni. Pour the mac and cheese into a shallow pan and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. 

Shape the cold mac and cheese into meatball-sized balls and place them onto a waxed paper-lined tray. Freeze the balls overnight. 


Beat the eggs and 2 tablespoons milk together to form an egg wash and pour it into a shallow bowl. Put the bread crumbs into another shallow bowl. Remove the mac and cheese balls from the freezer. Dip the frozen balls into the egg wash then into the bread crumbs. Put the balls back into the freezer until you are ready to fry.   


Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry the mac and cheese balls until they are golden brown and center is hot, about 5 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite marinara or Alfredo sauce or combination or both for dipping.