Tailgater’s Mac & Cheese
- Details
Whether you’re tailgating at Arrowhead or watching from home, you’ll enjoy this deluxe mac & cheese. As a native of KC transplanted in Seattle, I know which local flavors score and it just felt lucky to combine them to ensure a win in the Big Game. Enter Tailgater’s Mac & Cheese! Burger’s Ham studs the crunchy potato chip topping and Beecher’s Cheeses are loaded in the sauce and on top. This dish is a flavor powerhouse seasoned with our own KC Tailgater’s BBQ Rub. How can we lose? Go Chiefs!
Tailgater's Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
Potato Chip Topping
- 1 cup Beecher Flagship Smokey Cheese, grated
- 1 1/2 cups plain kettle cooked potato chips, slightly broken
- 1/2 cup cubed Burgers Hickory Smoked Ham
- 1 tablespoon KC Tailgater’s BBQ Rub
Mac & Cheese
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for preparing dish
- 12 ounces macaroni pasta
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 quart half and half
- 1 1/2 cups Beecher’s Flagship Cheese, grated
- 1 cup Beecher’s Just Jack Cheese, grated
- ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
- 1 teaspoon KC Tailgater’s BBQ Rub
Instructions
Potato Chip Crust
- In a medium bowl add the Beecher Smokey cheese, broken kettle chips, cubed Burgers ham and 1 tablespoon KC Tailgater's BBQ Rub. Toss to combine and set aside.
Mac & Cheese
- Heat oven to 350°F. Butter or oil an 2 quart casserole dish.
- Cook the macaroni 2 minutes less than package directions. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a heavy- bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for about 1 minute to fully incorporate. Slowly add the half and half, whisking constantly. Cook until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
- Add the Flagship cheese, Just Jack cheese, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon KC Tailgater’s, and garlic salt. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Combine cooked pasta and sauce in a medium bowl, and mix gently but thoroughly. Add macaroni into the prepared casserole dish.
- Evenly sprinkle potato chip crust on top of macaroni.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until piping hot. Let mac ‘n’ cheese sit for 3 minutes before serving.
- Go team!
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