Mac and Cheese Latkes are crispy and golden on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, and perfection in every bite!
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(Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the rest of the party recipes and to enter the giveaway!)
“Oh my gosh,” I exclaimed. “Oh. My. Gosh.”
My brother, who was around, came into the kitchen to see what I was up to. “What’s going on?” I couldn’t really answer him though – my mouth was….kinda stuffed with the most delicious latkes I ever invented.
Let’s backtrack for a minute. People ask me all the time: “Where do your recipe ideas come from?!” Well, there’s no simple answer for it. Sometimes they are carefully formulated and worked out, sometimes they’re inspired by something I saw or tasted. And sometimes, like this recipe, an idea just pops into my head, and I sit there in awe, thinking. “wow, that’s really genius.”
Well let me tell you. If you want to talk about genius in food and recipes, we need to talk about this idea I had. Mac and Cheese Latkes. Seriously. Just let that thought sink in. Take an ooey-gooey, cheesy delicacy like mac and cheese, fry it up in latke form…and the result is…magical. I know I often make the claim that various recipes are the best I’ve ever made, but this recipe earns it.
My brother (mentioned above) had just eaten meat for supper, and thus (according to kosher dietary laws) couldn’t eat dairy for over 5 hours. The poor guy had to stand around, listening to me as I raved about the awesome insanity of my creation. He had to smell the ridiculously perfect scent of my frying mac and cheese latkes, aka the most amazing smell ever. The moral of the story is probably to never eat meat, just in case someone makes Mac and Cheese latkes shortly after.
Anyhow, my blogging pals and I decided that we should throw a virtual chanukah party in honor of the holiday, which starts tonight. We’ve got a whole meal planned and you’re all invited! That’s right. Every one of you is invited to partake in this delicious meal, courtesy of your favorite Jewish bloggers! Of course, tasked with the side dish, I knew I had to serve these insanely good Mac and Cheese Latkes.
So here’s the meal:
Virtual Party Menu:
Appetizer: Samantha from The Little Ferraro Kitchen made Turkish Lentil Soup
Main: Melinda from Kitchen Tested made a Roasted Jalapeno and Cheddar Strata
Side: Miriam from OvertimeCook made Mac and Cheese Latkes (that’s me!)
Dessert: Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat made Deep Fried Rugelach
Drink: Chanie from Busy In Brooklyn made Gelt Hot Chocolate
And finally, here they are ladies and gents. The best latkes you’ll ever eat!
- 2½ cups elbow macaroni, cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups whole milk (red)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese*
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese*
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- oil, for frying
- Cook macaroni according to package directions. While cooking, prepare the cheese sauce.
- In a medium pot, stir or whisk together the milk and flour over a medium flame until it begins to simmer. Add the salt, pepper and cheeses. Stir until melted and combined.
- Add the cooked and drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until all of the noodles are coated. Set aside to cool for at least a couple of hours, or even overnight.
- Remove the cooled mac and cheese from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature somewhat. Use a large wooden spoon to break up any large clumps.
- Add the eggs and breadcrumbs and stir until evenly distributed.
- Heat about half an inch of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Take a handful of the mac and cheese mixture and form a thick patty. Carefully place it in the hot oil.
- Fry for a couple of minutes, until completely set and flip. Fry on the other side for about a minute or two, until golden. Remove from pan and serve immediately.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll also love:
Butternut Squash and Apple Latkes
Tools needed for this recipe:
Giveaway!
Want to win a big cookbook package (courtesy of ArtScroll)? How about a Gourmet Kosher Foodie Package (courtesy of California Gourmet and NoMoo)?
Here’s your chance for a double giveaway! Prizes are:
Kosher Cookbook Package: Kosher by Design Cooking Coach, Dairy Made Easy, Crafting Jewish, Secret Restaurant Recipes – Total Value: $112.96
Gourmet Foodie Package: NoMoo 2 dozen cookie package, California Gourmet Holiday Gift Basket – Total Value: over $100
Note that all entries count toward the raffle for both prizes.
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you love these as much as I did! Make sure to come back soon for more goodies! -Miriam PS: Make sure to follow me on your preferred social media channels to stay updated! Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest| Instagram
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THIS. LOOKS. HEAVEN. I am a huge mac-n-cheese fan and can’t wait to try this. And my baby loves anything pasta. I can’t wait to try this. Oh I said that already.
Duuuuudeeeee…this is insane!!! Basically fried mac and cheese, which I am all for! Thanks for hosting this party..so fun!!
looks absolutley yuummm!! mac and cheese is my favorate!
What a stroke of brilliance!! These look amazing!
These will be made Friday for Shabbat dinner!
But this sentence really spoke to me: “The moral of the story is probably to never eat meat, just in case someone makes Mac and Cheese latkes shortly after.”
I haven’t eaten meat in over 30 years, something many Orthodox people find peculiar, to say the least. One rabbi asked me, many years ago, “Tell me, what do you get out of it?!”
I said, “Rabbi, I can eat ice cream any time I want.”
He nodded and said, “Takah. It’s something.”
Sheer brilliance, as always. I expect nothing less from The OvertimeCook!
There are seriously no words for how good these look!!! Who needs a potato latke when I can have mine made out of mac n’ cheese?!?!?
Basically what Samantha said. Duuuudddee! These totally balance out with the air fries!
Count me in
For the the raffle pleasr
i am SO excited about this. amazing idea!
…and enter me in the raffle, please!
Hate to be repetitive and redundant, but these look wicked!!! Awesome combination of pasta and fried…. Can u fit chocolate and ice cream into the ingredients somehow??
Can’t wait to try this
My son would LOVE these (and so would I).
What kind of milk do you use?
Whole milk