Bills-Dolphins tailgate recipe: Buffalo Crisp Mac & Cheese
Can you believe it? Season 5 of Wingin’ It. Where has the time gone? For any newcomers, here’s the premise: It’s hungry work being a fan of the Buffalo Bills. Every week of the regular season and postseason, Buffalo Rumblings brings you a recipe to try out with a “Buffalo” twist.
The last time the Bills and Miami Dolphins faced off was in the sweltering Florida sun. This time, things ought to be a bit chillier, which means we’re breaking out a cold-weather comfort food recipe. I’ve already done my Mac’N Cheater recipe for Wingin’ It, but it’s time to bring out the big gun — that is, actual homemade mac and cheese. We wing up the cracker topping to give it a Buffalo twist, but otherwise it’s just glorious mac and cheese.
Buffalo Crisp Mac & Cheese
Serves: 6-8
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 90 minutes
Ingredients
Mac & Cheese
1 pkg (16 oz) pasta (elbows are traditional)
1 stick butter (divided into two halves)
About 4 Tbsp flour (see tips below)
1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1⁄2 tsp onion powder
1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper
4 cups whole milk
6 cups sharp cheddar cheese (24 oz.), separated into 6 equal chunks
1⁄2 tsp salt
Buffalo Crisp topping
1 1⁄2 cups crushed crackers
5 Tbsp hot sauce
You’ll need: 9”x13” glass baking dish
- Boil pasta per package directions; drain well. Transfer cooked pasta to baking dish (this can be done while preparing cheese sauce to save time).
- Prepare cheese sauce: Melt half a stick of butter in a large sauce pan on MED-LOW.
- Stir garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper; allow to combine 1-2 min.
- Stir in flour to create a roux* (see tips below to adjust as needed). Continue stirring roux until it begins to brown, about 3-5 min.
- Stir in milk a little at a time, no more than half a cup with any single pour; mix thoroughly with each pour. (It helps to warm the first cup of milk before adding to pan.) Allow the mixture to warm back up each time before adding more milk. Once all the milk is added, continue…
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