These Mac and Cheese Fritters combine two Hanukkah traditions—fried and dairy foods—for a fun holiday appetizer or snack.
Use Pepper Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses for spicier fritters or tone them down by using Monterey Jack, Colby, or mild cheddar.
The fritters are best served warm and can be made a day ahead and reheated. Eat them plain, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and/or chopped parsley, or with a dip of marinara or pizza sauce.
For best results, be sure mac and cheese balls are very compact (otherwise they will open up when fried) and monitor oil temperature. Cool, strain, and store used oil for reuse.
If a deep fry/candy thermometer is not available, drop a small cube of bread in hot oil. The oil is ready to use if the cube browns in about 45 seconds and the oil immediately bubbles all around it.
Makes about 30–32 1-inch balls
Ingredients
8 oz. uncooked elbow or fusilli pasta
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
2 1/2 cups total shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, and/or Colby cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 large eggs, beaten
About 1 cup purchased dried unseasoned fine bread crumbs or matzah meal
Neutral oil as needed
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
1 1/2–2 cups purchased pizza or marinara sauce, warmed (optional)
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (tender but with a bit of resistance in the centre). Drain.
Melt butter in a 4-quart sauce pan or pot over low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Adjust heat to medium low and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
Simmer uncovered (lower heat if necessary), whisking occasionally, until very thick and smooth (volume should be reduced by half), about 5–10 minutes (timing will vary).
Turn off heat but leave pot on burner. Use spoon to stir in salt, pepper, mustard, and cheese until incorporated in the sauce. Stir in the pasta and green onions until fully coated. (If cheese sauce is solidifying before ingredients are properly mixed, heat over very low heat.) Take pan off burner. Let rest for 20 minutes. Add eggs. Mix until well combined.
Grease a plate with oil. Line a second plate with paper towels.
Wet hands. Squeeze, press, and roll 2 tablespoons of mixture between hands to make compact, dense 1-inch diameter ball with no bits of pasta or green onion sticking out. Roll in crumbs, making sure ball stays compacted. (If it doesn’t, re-compact and roll in crumbs again.) Place fritter on greased plate. Repeat with remaining pasta, rewetting hands as needed.
Cover the bottom of a wide, deep 6–8 quart pot with 1–1 1/2 inches of oil. Clip on deep fry/candy thermometer. Place over high heat until the thermometer reads between 340 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust heat to maintain temperature.
Add 5–6 balls to pot, making sure they are compact before adding to oil. After a minute, turn fritters with metal tongs or long-handled metal slotted spoon. Fry about 2 minutes total, adjusting heat as needed, until browned all over. Remove to paper-towel covered plate to drain.
Add oil if needed. Check temperature. Add next batch and fry. Repeat with remaining fritters.
If serving soon after frying, keep fritters warm on an ungreased baking sheet in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven. To make ahead, store airtight overnight at room temperature between waxed paper layers. Reheat in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven on an ungreased baking sheet until warm, about 10 minutes.
These Mac and Cheese Fritters combine two Hanukkah traditions—fried and dairy foods—for a fun holiday appetizer or snack.
Use Pepper Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses for spicier fritters or tone them down by using Monterey Jack, Colby, or mild cheddar.
The fritters are best served warm and can be made a day ahead and reheated. Eat them plain, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and/or chopped parsley, or with a dip of marinara or pizza sauce.
For best results, be sure mac and cheese balls are very compact (otherwise they will open up when fried) and monitor oil temperature. Cool, strain, and store used oil for reuse.
If a deep fry/candy thermometer is not available, drop a small cube of bread in hot oil. The oil is ready to use if the cube browns in about 45 seconds and the oil immediately bubbles all around it.
Makes about 30–32 1-inch balls
Ingredients
8 oz. uncooked elbow or fusilli pasta
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
2 1/2 cups total shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, and/or Colby cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 large eggs, beaten
About 1 cup purchased dried unseasoned fine bread crumbs or matzah meal
Neutral oil as needed
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
1 1/2–2 cups purchased pizza or marinara sauce, warmed (optional)
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (tender but with a bit of resistance in the centre). Drain.
Melt butter in a 4-quart sauce pan or pot over low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, until smooth. Adjust heat to medium low and bring to a simmer, whisking often.
Simmer uncovered (lower heat if necessary), whisking occasionally, until very thick and smooth (volume should be reduced by half), about 5–10 minutes (timing will vary).
Turn off heat but leave pot on burner. Use spoon to stir in salt, pepper, mustard, and cheese until incorporated in the sauce. Stir in the pasta and green onions until fully coated. (If cheese sauce is solidifying before ingredients are properly mixed, heat over very low heat.) Take pan off burner. Let rest for 20 minutes. Add eggs. Mix until well combined.
Grease a plate with oil. Line a second plate with paper towels.
Wet hands. Squeeze, press, and roll 2 tablespoons of mixture between hands to make compact, dense 1-inch diameter ball with no bits of pasta or green onion sticking out. Roll in crumbs, making sure ball stays compacted. (If it doesn’t, re-compact and roll in crumbs again.) Place fritter on greased plate. Repeat with remaining pasta, rewetting hands as needed.
Cover the bottom of a wide, deep 6–8 quart pot with 1–1 1/2 inches of oil. Clip on deep fry/candy thermometer. Place over high heat until the thermometer reads between 340 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust heat to maintain temperature.
Add 5–6 balls to pot, making sure they are compact before adding to oil. After a minute, turn fritters with metal tongs or long-handled metal slotted spoon. Fry about 2 minutes total, adjusting heat as needed, until browned all over. Remove to paper-towel covered plate to drain.
Add oil if needed. Check temperature. Add next batch and fry. Repeat with remaining fritters.
If serving soon after frying, keep fritters warm on an ungreased baking sheet in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven. To make ahead, store airtight overnight at room temperature between waxed paper layers. Reheat in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven on an ungreased baking sheet until warm, about 10 minutes.