Serves:
5 people
Cooking Time:
20 minutes
Ingredients
- 200 grams of beef bacon
- 500 grams of boiled pasta
- 1/4 mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 1/4 cheddar cheese (grated)
- 1/4 cream cheese
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs beaten together
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 pepper
- Pinch of salt if it is needed
- 3-4 cups canola, sunflower, or peanut oil
- Minced fresh parsley, for garnish
- Additional Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q sauce, for drizzling and dipping
- 1 tsp minced dried rosemary
Instructions
- In a big bowl mix the mac and cheese together.
- Add the minced beef bacon on the mac and cheese.
- Add the minced garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper to the previous mixture.
- Scoop large golf ball sized balls of the cold mac and cheese (an ice cream scoop works perfectly!), and use hands to form into complete ball shape.
- Place onto a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Repeat with remaining mac and cheese.
- Place the plate or baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Add oil to dutch oven or large heavy bottomed bot.
- Heat over MEDIUM heat until oil temperature measures 360 F degrees.
- While oil is heating up, add flour with 2 tsp of cornstarch , egg mixture and panko to three shallow bowls.
- To the panko bowl, add parsley, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring to combine.
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top; set aside.
- Remove Mac and cheese balls from the freezer and roll, one at a time, in flour (shaking off the excess), then dipping in egg mixture, then rolling (and pressing lightly to coat) in the panko mixture.
- Repeat with remaining balls.
- Place half the balls on a clean wax paper lined plate and refrigerate (or freeze), while frying the other half. ** You don't want to let the balls get too warm, or they could start to fall apart during the frying process.
- Add Mac and cheese balls, 4-5 at a time to the hot oil, gently nudging the balls as they fry, so all sides are fried equally. Fry for approximately 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Gently remove fried balls and place onto the prepared wire rack to cool. **Repeat with any remaining balls. ** Serve hot, drizzled with a bit of Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q Sauce, sprinkled with parsley, and with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
