My World Famous Sauerkraut Balls

Here is my current recipe:

Ingredients

1. · 8 ounces Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage (I like the original but the Hot package is very tasty too)

2. · ¼ cup finely chopped onion. You have choices with onion: White, Yellow, Sweet, Red, and Vidalia. White and Red provide a sharper flavor, the others are more subtle and let the kraut flavor dominate.

3. · 14-ounce of sauerkraut drained and chopped. Reserve about 4 ounces of the juice for mixing later. I use a small Cuisinart processor that I inherited from Mom. A very handy tool she bought in the late 1990’s. Still works beautifully.

4. · ½ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

5. · ¼ teaspoon garlic salt or powder.

6. · Just a dash of ground black pepper to taste

7. · 4 ounces whipped cream cheese. I substitute Kite Hill non-dairy cream cheese when available or I will substitute Plant based non-dairy mozzarella Great Value brand. I send this through the processor to crumble. (It is easier to crumble cheese while bowl is dry, before adding the kraut and cooked pork)

8. · 2 ounces instant mashed potato flakes if needed

9. · 2 tablespoons parsley flakes

10. · ¼ cup regular flour

11. · A dash of Worcestershire sauce to taste.

And for the breading:

• · 1 egg beaten

• · ¼ cup milk (I use non-dairy coffee mate liquid creamer)

• · ¾ cup breadcrumbs. (I use half Panko and half Italian seasoned)

• · 6 cups vegetable oil for frying. (My preference is air frying in oven-style air-fryer)

And now the fun begins:

Take a large deep skillet to help with splatter.

Heat to medium high heat, fry pork sausage and onion until sausage is evenly brown and onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Here is where I use the Cuisinart processor.

Take drained sauerkraut and chop a little before adding cooked sausage and onion.

When combined, process together to a medium chop to keep flavors separate.

Put mixture into a large bowl and add mustard, garlic salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs.

Combine cream cheese and parsley,

This is where I use my non-dairy crumbled mozzarella mixture.

This is where I add instant potato flakes if needed, the reserved kraut juice, and a dash of Worcester

shire Sauce and mix to a paste. Add liquids gradually until thick paste, not too watery.

Refrigerate for 1 hour. Chilled will make shaping the balls a breeze. (Or overnight if prepping for a party and cook fresh.) Shape sauerkraut mixture into 3/4-inch balls.

Coat balls with flour. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk.

Dip floured balls in egg mixture and then roll in remaining breadcrumbs.

Deep fry in batches for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

You can freeze a batch on a cookie sheet or small plates, and stored in freezer bags. They do not need to thaw before frying.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cook 'til golden brown.

Although, I much prefer mine cooked in my Air-Fryer oven. 450 degrees for 15- 20 minutes until crispy. Either way is good

Enjoy!

And click here if you want to read the origin story from Akron, Ohio

Well, there it is. For those of you fortunate to live in Northern Ohio you can simply walk into your local Walmart and buy some ready-made nuggets of joy. If you have scattered further from Akron, you should make your own.

Here is link to my latest recipes.

If not, you can buy all the ingredients to follow my recipe and look at some small deep fryers or air-fryers.

Click here to see if your local Walmart stocks them.

Well thanks for reading, please share this to introduce you friends to a little taste from Akron.

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