DIRTY DEEP FRIED MAC AND CHEESE BALLS

Ladies and gentleman please feast your eyes on the most dirtiest, heaviest creation to ever grace Matty B Bakes. These balls of mac and cheese and chorizo dipped in panko breadcrumbs and deep fried are so incredibly naughty that if they didn't taste so absolutely awesome you would feel so guilty that you would be handing yourself into the police straight away for crimes against your waistline. They do take a while to prepare but trust me once you have your first, you will see they are well worth the wait.

Now as I say, you will need at least 6-7 hours to make your balls. Why? There is some freezing involved. You need to prepare your balls and then freeze them as they will be gooey and soft and just fall apart if you don't. Ideally you should prepare them the day before, ready to fry the next day but I reckon depending on how quick you are and how good your freezer is then on average you could do them in 8 hours, 6 if your uber quick but don't be impatient. If they are not fully frozen they will be ruined as soon as they hit the fryer.

So essentially your making a mac and cheese and freezing it before frying it. The mixture will be a bit thicker than your average mac and cheese but that's to help mold the balls. I've used a mixture of cheddar and monteray jack cheese which makes for a winning combination but as long as you use 450g of any cheese, be that all of one cheese or a mixture of any that melts really well in a cheese sauce then you'll be grand!

 I've also added in chorizo for a meaty bite and so that those paprika spices get into the cheese sauce and make it sing! If you can't get hold of chorizo then maybe use some bacon, lardons or some other kind of smoky meat. You can leave out the meat if you want (ideal for veggies of course) but make sure you add a bit of extra seasoning to replace that lost flavor. Either way, your balls will still be to die for!

Remember my tips with hot oil too! Use a cooking thermometer to get that heat just right or test by popping in a breadcrumb which should fizz and go brown instantly. Make sure no kids are about and keep a damp tea towel handy in the event of any accidents. Safety first folks!

Lets get too it! Make sure you have enough room in your freezer before you start to fit 12 egg sized balls in a single layer on a baking tray. If your don't you will be screwed and there will be no dirty balls for you!

Mac And Cheese Balls

225g Macaroni

120g Finely Diced Chorizo

1 Tbsp Butter

1 Tbsp Plain Flour

225g Grated Cheddar Cheese

225g Grated Monteray Jack Cheese

Salt And Pepper To Season

1 Large Beaten Egg

Around 5 Tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs

1. Begin by cooking the macaroni to packet instructions. Whilst it does, begin preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2. Fry the chorizo in a lightly oiled pan until crispy. Remove from the heat and add them along with any oil that's been released into a large bowl.
3. In another pan, slowly melt the butter and then add in the flour and whisk until a smooth paste has formed. Add in the milk and keep whisking until the milk thickens. This will take around five minutes. Don't boil the milk, keep it on a simmer
   or it will ruin the sauce.
4. Once the milk has thickened, remove from the heat and add in the cheeses and mix until they have melted and a smooth cheese has formed. Add this too the bowl with the chorizo and mix together, seasoning with a pinch of salt and a generous helping of pepper.
5. By now the macaroni should be ready so drain well and add to the bowl with the cheese sauce. Mix everything together until well combined and then cover and pop into the fridge for around two hours to cool and thicken up more.
6. Once cool, remove the bowl from the fridge and line a baking tray that will fit into your freezer with baking paper.
7. Take the mixture and with dry hands, shape into 12 equal sized balls around the size of a medium egg and place on the lined baking tray. The mixture will be sticky but they will shape into ball if you gently squeeze them together. Make sure you wash and your hands each time otherwise macaroni cheese is just going to be all over the show. 
8. Once your balls are lined up and ready to go, wrap the tray with film and pop them in the fridge until completely firm, around four hours or so.
9. Once firm, place the beaten egg in bowl and the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.  Remove the balls from the freezer and dip each ball into the egg until coated, drain any excess egg and then dip the ball in the breadcrumbs until well coated. Wash and try your hands after doing each one so the breadcrumbs don't become clumped together. 
10. Place the breaded balls back onto the lined baking tray, cover with film and pop back in the freezer for at least another two hours until the breadcrumbs are firmly stuck to the outside of the balls.
11. Once ready, heat up around an inch depths worth of vegetable oil in a pan to 180 degrees. Carefully place the balls into the oil with a slotted metal spoon in batches of no more than four and fry each side of the balls until golden brown. Depending on the size of your balls this is around 2-3 minutes each side. 
12. Remove the balls and drain on kitchen paper. Whilst your fry the remaining batches you can keep the first ones warm in the oven on a low temperature if you wish.

Once all the balls are ready serve them straight away with a dipping sauce (BBQ is the best in my eyes). Be careful as they will be piping hot inside but they should also be oozy and gooey with all that cheese sauce inside. The soft insides are complemented by the crunch of the chorizo and panko breadcrumb coating making them so tasty they are like something from another planet.

They are heavy though so challenge yourself to see how many of these dirty balls you can devour before you literally explode!