Mac and Cheese "Sushi" Rolls

I saw this on a website.  The original recipe was made with Kraft instant macaroni and cheese, filled with hamburger, and had Sriracha as a garnish.  I decided to modify it by using homemade mac and cheese, omitting the hamburger, and rolling it in toasted bread crumbs.  For some of the rolls, I used bacon as a garnish.

Here are some great recipes for homemade mac and cheese (I say great because they are my recipes, of course!):  Leah's Mac and Cheese Trifecta 

For this particular experiment, I used the Gruyere version, but any type should work.  I tried this with both traditional macaroni noodles, and penne, and that didn't seem to make a difference as far as the rolls holding up.

Recipe Yield:

Approx. 50 pieces

Ingredients:

1 recipe macaroni and cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp butter

Plastic wrap

Garnish:  Sriracha (Thai hot sauce, available at your local grocer, bacon, bacon bits, sesame seeds, etc)

Directions:

Make the mac and cheese and then chill for about an hour.  Once the macaroni is cold, take a long piece of plastic wrap and place about a cup of the mixture on the plastic.  Use your hands (they will get messy!) to manipulate it into a cone shape.  Cover the top with the plastic wrap and roll forward, pressing down and into the sides to create a tight cylinder.  Roll the ends of the plastic wrap like a candy wrapper to seal.  Repeat until all of the mac and cheese has been rolled into logs.

At this point, return the logs to the fridge and let them chill for about an hour.  Meanwhile, toast the bread crumbs in the butter until slightly browned and fragrant.

When the macaroni logs have chilled sufficiently, remove one at a time from the fridge.  Remove plastic wrap and place on cutting board.  If using bread crumbs, place the crumbs on a plate and roll the "sushi" in it before slicing.  Using a sharp knife, slice the rolls into 1-2 inch slices.  Lay cut side down on platter.  If using, squeeze a small dot of hot sauce on top of each roll.

Tips:  Another option I thought of, but didn't try yet, is rolling these in bacon bits.  You could also stuff them with pretty much any type of vegetable or meat you choose.  I served these cold for a vegetarian event, and ate some of them warm, and they were pretty tasty either way!  Enjoy!