I had left over macaroni and cheese. Can you believe that? Actually my son left for school before I could finish making it. It was made with the intentions of him taking some back to school with him. So what do you do when you have leftover mac and cheese. You make fried mac and cheese..duh.
I saw it on a couple of menus in town. So I figured I could track it down on Pinterest to be able to re-create. Then BAM! a slew of links to just how it was done. They were all pretty much the same with a few differences between the recipes. All the recipes required you to scoop and shape into balls that you would then freeze (preferably overnight). The differences were in their breading methods used to get the crispy outside that would protect the yummy cheesy insides. Most said you should use an egg wash and then roll the balls in breads crumbs which you would then place in the fridge to set before frying. I think I had only come across one that had what I was trained to be the standard in breading. Flour, followed by an egg wash then bread crumbs. No need to put in the fridge this way. The crumbs will adhere and not fall off before frying.
As with anything I cook I have to find a way to make it my own. First I thought it was easier for me to cut them into squares as opposed to shaping the mac and cheese into balls. I also decided to put a small cube of cheese in the middle of my mac square. Finally I did the traditional breading I learned in school. I originally used Italian breadcrumbs but I think the next time I do this I will use Panko breadcrumbs. I also realize after making them that the temperature of the oil cannot be too hot otherwise the mac and cheese never re-heats from having been frozen. This prevented the cube of cheese I placed in the middle from melting. Trial and error that’s what it’s all about. Well here’s some pics to move along on your fried mac n cheese. Would you try this? If so would you change anythingt?
