Mac and cheese burger
A crispy mac and cheese burger, drizzled with hot cheese sauce, topped with a crunchy slaw and sandwiched between a brioche bun.
Ingredients
- 130 g macaroni
- 30 g butter (reserve 10 g for cheese sauce & extra for greasing tins)
- 15 g plain flour (reserve 5 g for cheese sauce & extra for flouring)
- 250 ml milk (reserve 100 ml for cheese sauce)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pepper
- 90 g Red Leicester cheese vegetarian, grated/crumbled (reserve 40 g for cheese sauce) *see Recipe Notes
- 1 free-range egg lightly beaten
- 120 g wholemeal breadcrumbs *see Recipe Notes
- 100 ml rice bran oil
Slaw
- 20 g onion peeled & coarsely grated
- 80 g red cabbage finely sliced
- 50 g apple cored & cut into matchsticks *see Recipe Notes
- 60 g carrot coarsely grated
- 50 g red capsicum seeds removed, flesh finely sliced
- 2 tsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
To serve
- 4 brioche burger buns split in half *see Recipe Notes
Instructions
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Grease four 10cm round springform tins with butter.
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Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add macaroni and simmer for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain macaroni.
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Melt 20 g of butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add 10 g of plain flour and mix using a balloon whisk. Add 150 ml of milk and whisk continuously until the flour is combined with the milk. Continue to whisk over a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add a pinch of nutmeg and some cracked pepper. Add 50 g of Red Leicester cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Remove from heat.
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Pour the cheese sauce into the cooked macaroni and mix until evenly combined. Divide the mac and cheese between the four greased tins and press the mixture down using the back of a spoon so it is compact in the tins. Cover tins with clingfilm and put them in the freezer overnight.
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The next day, preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
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Take the frozen mac and cheese out of the freezer and leave to thaw at room temperature for 3 minutes.
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Put flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls. Take the frozen mac and cheese out of the tins. Coat each burger by first covering with flour, then egg and finally with a coating of breadcrumbs. Place each coated burger on a plate ready for frying.
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Heat rice bran oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry each burger for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer burgers to the lined baking tray. Bake in oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until the outside is golden and the inside is hot & cooked through. Keep burgers warm in the oven until ready to plate.
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Meanwhile, combine all of the slaw ingredients in large bowl, cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge until serving.
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Make a hot cheese sauce to pour over the burgers by melting 10 g of butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add 5 g of plain flour and mix using a balloon whisk. Add 100 ml of milk and whisk continuously until the flour is combined with the milk. Continue to whisk over a medium heat until the sauce thickens. Add 40 g of Red Leicester cheese. Whisk until it has melted into the sauce. Keep the sauce warm until you are ready to serve the burgers.
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To serve (hot) per person: put two halves of a brioche burger bun on a plate. Put the mac and cheese burger on the bottom half of the burger bun. Top the burger with a couple of teaspoons of hot cheese sauce. Add some slaw to the burger and top with the other half of the bun.
Recipe Notes
*Red Leicester cheese - I use Vintage Red Leicester cheese from Coles in this recipe. A vintage cheddar or a smoked cheddar cheese would also work well if you can’t get Red Leicester.
*Wholemeal breadcrumbs - I use fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs to coat the burgers but you can use whichever type of breadcrumbs that you like.
*Apple - squeeze some lemon juice over the apple once you have cut it to stop it from going brown.
*Brioche burger buns - you can use whichever type of burger bun that you prefer. If you want to make your own bun, follow my recipe for milk bread rolls.
Tins - I use 10cm round springform tins to make the burgers. You could use greased egg rings on a lined baking tray instead if you don’t have the right sized tins.