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So, you totally embraced St. Patrick’s Day, or should I say it embraced you, and now you’re stuck with leftovers that are begging for a tasty makeover. Hold off on dumping those remnants! It’s time to put on your creative chef hat and work some magic to keep the party vibes alive!
Leftover mac and cheese? Unheard of ~ It’s like discovering a unicorn in your backyard! But hold on, because we’re about to take this rare find and turn it into something even more magical. Imagine frying it up until it’s golden brown and crispy – talk about a cheesy upgrade! Now, I get it, the idea of having leftover mac and cheese might be as rare as finding a treasure map in your cereal box, so why not just make a double batch so you can indulge in the cheesy goodness?
Let’s start by heating the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven until it’s feeling hot and sassy at 375°F according to a digital instant-read thermometer. Then, tell the heat to take it down a notch to medium.
Meanwhile, take the chilled mac and cheese and sculpt it into slabs resembling a deck of cards. Aim for some artsy 1/2-inch squares and enjoy the absurdity of this culinary endeavor!
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl. Then, whisk the egg and water together in a second bowl. Finally, the breadcrumbs go in the third bowl. Just like that, you’ve got your culinary assembly line ready to jazz up those ingredients!
Dredge each slab of mac and cheese in the flour, and make sure to tap off as much extra powder as you can – no one needs that much dusting! Give it a luxurious egg wash treatment, followed by a thorough coat of the breadcrumbs. Let those babies sit on a cooling rack for 5 minutes to really get their act together.
Now comes the sizzling part – gently ease 3 or 4 pieces into the hot oil and let them party until they shimmer into a glorious golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Give ’em a flip only once, we don’t want any overachievers here. Once they’re all golden and crispy, rescue them onto a cooling rack set over some paper towels. Repeat the whole fabulous routine with the remaining squares.
And voilà! Serve those bad boys hot and watch them disappear. Oh, and as for the ketchup debate – personally, I’m all about that cold ketchup life, but hey, you do you. I use this sugar free ketchup and it was amazing!
“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”
― Mark Twain
Let me know what you think of the post and if you made it.
LauraLovingLife
Fried Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 quart peanut oil for frying
- 8 cups leftover macaroni and cheese refrigerated overnight
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat until it reaches 375°F on a digital instant-read thermometer. Then, turn the heat down to medium.
- Meanwhile, cut the refrigerated mac and cheese into slabs roughly the size and shape of a deck of cards, approximately 1/2-inch squares.
- Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a pie plate. Whisk the egg and water together in a second pie plate. Breadcrumbs go in a third pie plate.
- Dredge each slab of mac and cheese in the flour and tap off as much excess powder as possible. Dip in the egg wash, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumbs. Set aside on a cooling rack for 5 minutes to set. Ease 3 or 4 pieces into the oil at a time and fry until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side, flipping once.
