How to make RACV Inverloch Resort’s Mac & Cheese Croquettes

RACV chef Rohan McCullagh puts a new spin on a family favourite, Mac & Cheese.

Mac and cheese has been an easy family favourite for decades. With just a few simple ingredients your mid-week dinner can be on the table in less than 10 minutes. RACV Inverloch Resort executive chef Rohan McCullagh has taken this fan fave and turned it into a gourmet delight; mac and cheese croquettes. Relive your childhood memories with a refined version of this classic cheesy pasta dish.

RACV Inverloch Resort’s Mac & Cheese Croquettes

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4-6 people

Ingredients

For the macaroni mixture

• 200g macaroni
• 600ml milk
• 20ml olive oil
• 50g butter, melted
• 90g plain flour
• 120g parmesan cheese (or cheese of your choice)
• 10g Dijon mustard
• 10g parsley, chopped
• 50g onion, finely diced
• 5g garlic, crushed
• 5g thyme, chopped

For the crumb

• 4 eggs
• 50ml milk
• 100g plain flour
• 500g panko breadcrumbs

Method

1. Cook the macaroni as per packet instructions and set aside
2. Warm the milk in a pot and keep aside
3. Combine the melted butter with olive oil in a frypan over medium heat
4. Add onion and garlic to the frypan and sauté until soft and translucent
5. Add flour to the onion mix and cook out for 1 minute, stirring continuously
6. Slowly pour the warm milk into flour mix, whisking well to combine
7. Reduce the heat and allow the sauce to thicken, keep stirring to avoid it from sticking
8. Add the chopped thyme, parsley, cheese and Dijon mustard. Mix to combine
9. Mix in the cooked macaroni and season with salt and pepper
10. Pour the macaroni mixture into a tray lined with baking paper and leave in the fridge to set. The mixture needs to be ideally 3cm thick in the tray
11. Once set, turn the mixture out and cut it into 3-centimetre cubes
12. To crumb, toss the cubes in the remaining flour
13. Whisk the eggs with the milk
14. With one hand, dip the cube into the egg mix. Then using the other hand, coat the croquette in the panko breadcrumbs
15. The preferred method of cooking is with a deep fryer at 180°C, however, if you don’t have a deep fryer the croquettes can be cooked by shallow frying them in a pan of vegetable oil about 1cm deep until golden on all sides. If shallow frying, warm the pan with oil in the oven at 160°C before dipping the croquettes
16. Cook the croquettes in batches until golden
17. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.

Tip: Rohan suggests serving with a spiced capsicum jam or relish and charred corn.