Description
Roasted garlic-infused mac & cheese is stuffed into dumpling wrappers, deep-fried till golden and topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the ultimate comfort food snack.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 head garlic
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 pound small shell-shaped pasta or ditalini (we used #23 shells)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
- 1/2 pound Muenster cheese, grated
- 1/2 pound American cheese, grated
- 1 cup choy sum or baby bok choy leaves, thinly sliced
- Peanut oil, for deep-frying
- Dumpling wrappers
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Roast garlic: Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel off most of the papery exterior of the garlic head, and slice the top 1/4 inch or so off. Set the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Bake until caramelized, about 40 minutes.
- Cook pasta: Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to just shy of al dente, drain and set aside (you can toss the pasta with a bit of olive oil to help keep it from sticking while you prepare the cheese sauce).
- Make béchamel: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it turns golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the milk a quarter cup at a time, whisking constantly. Once all the milk has been added, let it simmer for 3-4 minutes until it starts to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in the roasted garlic cloves.
- Prepare oil & assemble dumplings: Heat several inches of peanut oil in a large, deep pot (preferably cast iron) to 325°F. While the oil is coming up to temperature, get a small bowl of water ready. Scoop a heaping teaspoon of the mac and cheese mixture into a dumpling wrapper. Dip a finger in the water and run it around the perimeter of the dumpling wrapper, fold it in half and press the edges firmly to seal around the filling. Set on a tray and repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers until you run out of wrappers or filling.
- Deep-fry dumplings: once the dumplings are ready and the oil has reached 325°F, carefully place 6 dumplings into the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, flipping occasionally with a spider or metal tongs. Remove dumplings to a paper towel-lined tray that has been topped with a metal cooling rack. Immediately grate some Parmesan cheese over the top of each dumpling before adding the next batch to the oil. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 194.3 mg
- Fat: 7.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10.3 g
- Cholesterol: 20.5 mg
