Sausage Balls

Oh how I wish there was a better name for these. I even tried to think of one, but at the end of the day these are, in fact, sausage balls. So there you go. Regardless of their name- they are great. They are also perfect for any holiday party. Easy to make in advance and season-appropriate if you make the cranberry sauce for dipping!

This recipe came to be during one of my "clean living" phases. About every six months I decide that I should be a better mother and limit my kids' exposure to all evil in the world, starting in my kitchen. So I start madly researching chemical-free, hormone-free, antibiotic-free... you get the idea. It usually begins with a large purchase from Trader Joes or Whole Foods and ends when I see the cost. My last round of clean living mania resulted in a meat share membership through a local farmer, and has actually stuck. Every month they deliver to members in our local area and we meet them in a predetermined location to pick up our portion. Its usually 18-20lbs of pork, beef, chicken and eggs; all hormone and antibiotic free.  The farm name is Walnut Family Farms. If you're in Illinois look them up- its very reasonable and the meat/egg quality is fantastic. My favorite part of the membership is that each month you don't know what cuts of meat you'll receive. As I mentioned in my last post I like to be creative with my cooking. So when I get my shipment its like Christmas! I love to unpack the bag and think about what I can make in the upcoming weeks.  I'm a food dork, I know.

One of our last shipments included a pound of pork sausage. After searching online, through cookbooks and on Pinterest I settled on making sausage balls. There are literally hundreds of Sausage Ball recipes out there. So as usual I took a little something from each one and came up with my own. And since cranberries were on sale at Aldi that week I decided to add a cranberry dipping sauce. You can make each one small for an appetizer dish or make them a bit larger and serve them as a main course with a side of veggies and mashed potatoes. Try them out and let me know if you like them!

~Wendy

Sausage Balls w/ Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Recipe Type: Dinner or Appetizer

Author: Wendy

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 18 mins

Total time: 28 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Sausage Balls


• 1 lb pork sausage


• 1 stalk of celery, diced


• 1/4 c. diced green onion


• 1 1/2 c. bisquick


• 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese


• 1/2 tsp sage


• salt & pepper to taste


• Cranberry Dipping Sauce


• 12 oz bag fresh cranberries


• 3/4 c. brown sugar


• 6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate (about 1/2 of normal size can)


• 1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

Sausage Balls

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes. Remove from the pan almost immediately to avoid sticking.

Cranberry Sauce

1. In a medium sized saucepan combine the cranberries, orange juice concentrate and brown sugar. Warm over medium heat stirring frequently until the cranberries pop open. Add in the cornstarch and stir sauce until thickened, usually 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before serving.

Notes

Other options for dipping sauce could be BBQ sauce or a mix of equal parts mayonnaise and mustard. I much prefer the cranberry sauce! If you intend on serving these as a main course, I would recommend making the sausage balls into 2 inch balls before cooking. Increase baking time by 3-4 minutes to insure they are cooked through the center.

3.1.09