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!
Everything Hummus
Jazz up your hummus with our Everything Bagel Spice! The spice blend has incredible texture and bold flavors that elevate classic hummus to a whole new level. Not your run of the mill version, we’ve …
Tea Picnic
This post is for those of us who like the crusts cut off. The extra effort and attention that goes into making these beautiful tea sandwiches shows in every detail — the sweet shapes, the …
El Greco Zucchini Cheddar Muffins
Savory muffins are underrated. While blueberry and lemon poppy seed might make the headlines, cheese, herbs and veggies can work just as well! Our latest recipe yields muffins that are moist, cheesy and almost biscuit …
Fines Herbes Potato Leek Soup
This soup is simple and lets this blend shine. Fines Herbes is a classic French blend of garden herbs like chervil, tarragon, chives and parsley. These delicate herbs season all of the vegetables and give …
Lentil Loaf with Awesome Sauce
I’ve made this recipe for lentil loaf a million times. It is a go-to dish that keeps coming back around. Why? It’s true the loaf is moist and flavorful, healthy, and satisfying. It’s true that …
Leave a Comment