Photograph by T. Mike Fletcher
Some recipes are classics and this is certainly one of them. As appetizers go, this is one of the easiest and best. This recipe goes so far back, I can’t begin to imagine who first made it. But one thing is sure—everyone seems to love them. The original recipe had you smoushing this all together with you hands. (Maybe it goes so far back they didn’t have mixers!) I’m not sure this will work with a hand mixer, but if you have a stand mixer use that. Otherwise, smoush! I have added an apricot sweet and sour dipping sauce to make these even better.
This is one of the first appetizers I learned, and one of my most used for years and years.Three ingredients for the sausage balls and three for the sweet and sour sauce make this fast and do-able. As if that weren’t enough, these can be made and frozen either baked or unbaked. Add a few minutes to the baking time if unbaked when frozen or heat until hot if baked and frozen.
Sausage Cheese Balls
½ pound, mild, hot or a combination bulk sausage
1½ cups biscuit baking mix
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Foil-line and spray rimmed baking pans.
Mix the sausage and baking mix together until completely combined. Add the cheddar cheese and squish together with your hands until all of the ingredients completely mixed.
Pinch off walnut sized pieces and roll into balls. Place on prepared baking pans and bake for about 18 to 22 minutes. The bottoms should be golden brown and the sausage should be cooked through. Spear on toothpicks and serve warm with the sauce.
Apricot Sweet and Sour Sauce
½ cup apricot jam or preserves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Place all ingredients in a blender or processor. Blend until smooth.
©Copyright Helen S. Fletcher 2010. All Rights Reserved.
By Helen Fletcher, The Ardent Cook, helensfletcher@sbcglobal.net
