Truffled Hot Dog Mac-and-Cheese Cups
Ingredients:
- 1 package Nathan's Hot Dogs
- 16 ounce Elbow Macaroni
- 8 tablespoon White Truffle Butter, Divided
- 2 whole Large Shallots, Diced
- 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 4 cup Whole Milk
- 2 cup Shredded Gruyere Cheese
- 4 cup Shredded Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Divided
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 3 tablespoon Minced Parsley
- 2 clove(s) Garlic, Grated Or Minced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit. Spray mini-muffin pans with nonstick spray. Note: Recipe makes 4 mini-muffin pans worth of cups, work in batches in step 5 to suit the number of pans you have. For larger servings, use standard muffin pans.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Melt 6 tablespoons of truffle butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots, salt and pepper, and saute until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk until incorporated. Cook, stirring with spoon, 2 minutes, until thickened.
Remove pan from heat and whisk in Gruyere and cheddar until smooth. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and add hot dogs. Stir until combined. Do ahead: Prepare recipe through step 4 and refrigerate up to 2 days prior to baking.
Divide mixture evenly into prepared muffin pans. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons truffle butter and mix with bread crumbs, parsley and garlic. Sprinkle bread crumbs mixture over mac-and-cheese. Bake cups until tops are golden-brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining mac-and-cheese, if necessary.