Goldfish-Crusted Mac and Cheese Medals
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 16 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 30 servings
- Calories
- 357
- Total Fat
- 24
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Carbohydrates
- 24
- Dietary Fiber
- 1
- Sugar
- 3
- Protein
- 11
- Cholesterol
- 48
- Sodium
- 365
- Total: 3 hr 40 min
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 pound sharp yellow Cheddar, shredded
8 ounces melting cheese, such as Velveeta, cubed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound elbow macaroni
Nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 tablespoon sriracha, plus more as needed
One 6.6-ounce package Cheddar fish-shaped snack crackers, Cheddar Goldfish Baked Snack Crackers
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in 1/2 cup flour and cook until tan in color, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking every couple of minutes, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the Cheddar, melting cheese and Parmesan in batches, whisking after each addition. Whisk until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the cheese sauce. Pour onto a wax paper-lined rimmed baking sheet, spread it to the edges and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Remove the macaroni from the fridge. Place wax paper on another baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Cut out gold medals with a 2- to 2 1/2-inch round cutter or the top of a glass. You should have 16 medals. Spray another sheet of wax paper with cooking spray and place the sheet sprayed-side down over the medals. Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Stir the ranch dressing and siracha together in a small bowl. Place the fish-shaped snack crackers in a food processer and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
- Pour about 2 inches of oil into a large pot and place over medium-high heat. Clip a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot and heat to 350 degrees F. Place a wire rack over a sheet pan.
- Set up a breading station with the remaining 1 cup flour in one shallow bowl, the eggs in a second shallow bowl and the Cheddar cracker crumbs in a third shallow bowl. Remove the medals from the freezer, coat them in flour, dip in the egg wash and coat in the cracker crumbs. Fry about 3 at a time in the oil until crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on the rack. Sprinkle with salt.
- Serve the gold medals with the ranch sauce. If you like, you can place the medallions on plates and squeeze or pipe sriracha medal ribbons, and/or pipe numbers (1, 2 or 3) onto the medallions.