Episode 6: Fried Mac n Cheese

I try to use my leftovers to the fullest extent. When I had a lot of leftover mac n cheese I had to think about how I wanted to use it up without just reheating it. Normally when you reheat mac n cheese it gets rubbery which is something I wanted to avoid. Since I live in the South we like to fry things so we gave it a go at fried mac n cheese. If you don't have leftover mac n cheese we will start with a fresh batch in the recipe. Here we go:

FRIED MAC N CHEESE

• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 2 cups grated white sharp cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup diced butterkaise cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 small package diced pancetta (bacon can be substituted)
• 1 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

In a cooking pot, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes. While the macaroni cooks, fry the pancetta. Remove the pancetta once it is crispy but reserve the oil. This will be used for the béchamel. Strain the macaroni and put it to the side. Bring the leftover pancetta grease to a medium high heat; add the flour and spices. Mix fully. Slowly add in the heavy cream and thicken up until it coats the back of a spoon when a line can be made with your finger. Remove from heat then add in 1 cup of white cheddar and 1/2 cup of butterkaise. Melt completely. Stir in pancetta and macaroni. Add to a greased baking dish and cover with remaining cheese. Top with breadcrumbs. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit over for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit until completely cooled. Move to refrigerator for 4 hours. Macaroni will need to be chilled in order to fry correctly.

• 1 cup panko
• 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 cups of canola or vegetable oil

In a bowl combine the panko and breadcrumbs. In another bowl add eggs then whisk. These will be the two separate items needed for frying. Add oil to a pot on the stove on medium high heat. Temperature can be adjusted to compensate for burn if it happens. Remove your mac n cheese from the fridge. It can be sliced in 1 inch squares or a biscuit cutter can be used to cut out uniform pieces. Dredge each piece in the eggs coating fully. Transfer to the breading mixture and coat all the way around. Once the oil reaches a frying point add in the mac n cheese medallions. Fry until golden and turn over to fry the other side golden. Remove from oil onto a paper towel to soak up excess oil. 

I like to make a dipping sauce out of ranch dressing and Frank's Red Hot sauce, but you can use whatever you like to dip it in. Try out any variation you want - you can even add jalapenos to the mac n cheese. Why not?!

If you want to see a tutorial on how to make the recipe check out my channel on TikTok under mrs_sheenak