Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Ingredients

500g elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cream, warmed, plus 2 tablespoons for egg wash
500g grated Cheddar cheese
250g shredded mozzarella
250g Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
3 cups seasoned panko bread crumbs
non-stick cooking spray

Instructions

Serves 6
  1. Cook the macaroni according to package instructions.
  2. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again, pour into a large bowl, and set aside.
  3. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the butter and stir it with a whisk. Cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Whisk the warmed cream into the flour mixture, working out any lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
  5. Remove from the heat, add the cheeses, and stir until melted and smooth; season with salt and pepper.
  6. Fold the cheese sauce into macaroni until blended.
  7. Pour the mac and cheese into a shallow pan and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.
  8. Shape the cold mac and cheese into meatball-sized balls and place them onto a waxed paper-lined tray. Freeze the balls overnight.
  9. Beat the eggs and 2 tablespoons cream together to form an egg wash and pour into a shallow bowl. Put the bread crumbs into another shallow bowl.
  10. Remove the mac and cheese balls from the freezer. Dip the frozen balls into the egg wash then into the panko breadcrumbs. Put the balls back into the freezer until you are ready to air-fry.
  11. Place mac and cheese balls in the AIR FRYER basket. Spritz with cooking oil.
  12. Set the temperature to 400 degrees and the time to 8 minutes.
  13. Cook until golden brown.