Sweet New Year: Sarah Madison Balls It Up!

Today’s guest is Sarah Madison, one of the contributing authors in my Going for Gold M/M Olympic Anthology. If you love hunky guys and horses, don’t miss her wonderful novella “Lightning in a Bottle.” If you love some guilty pleasures at the holidays, read on for a scrumptious recipe that will result in needing some New Year’s resolutions.

Anyone who knows me would laugh at the idea of my contributing anything along the lines of cooking tips and recipe sharing. There’s a reason why ‘world’s worst cook’ is part of my bio! For most of my life, food has been something I treated with impatience, a necessary means of providing fuel so I could get back to the business at hand. I used to say I had a five dollar palate; that I could not tell the difference between foods that cost more or less than that amount. That was before I discovered really fine dining and the near-orgasmic experience of excellent food prepared by an expert.

That still doesn’t make me Martha Stewart, by any means.

However, I am known for one thing in my neck of the woods: sausage balls. I know, what a bizarre thing to be famous for, right? But I have to tell you, they are the perfect holiday season treat. Relatively easy to make, limited ingredients, highly portable, easy to reheat, delicious cold—what more could you ask? I start making them just before Thanksgiving, and freeze several batches. They make the perfect addition to breakfast—just wrap a couple of frozen balls in a paper towel and zap them in the microwave! They are a wonderful alternative to the usual cookies and chocolates that inundate the office at this time of year—sick of sweets? Nosh on some sausage balls! In fact, the biggest problem with them is their tendency to disappear before Christmas, necessitating creating several more batches. I can tell you, I’ve never returned from a party with leftover sausage balls.

Three ingredients—that’s all. Bisquick, cheddar cheese, a one pound roll of ground sausage. But, as my family can attest to, it is how you combine them that is the long-lost secret. The secret my granny passed on to me that no one else in the family seems to be able to duplicate. When we speak of gathering for Christmas, the first question out of everyone’s mouth is “Are you bringing the sausage balls?”

The recipe came out of my grandmother’s Church Ladies Cookbook: a limited edition print copy of all the best recipes of her fellow church goers from the 1950’s and 60’s, back when every recipe was oh-so-good to eat and oh-so-bad for you, and often based on Campbell’s soup. The book has since been lost, taking with it the Sock-it-to-Me cake recipe (which included 7-Up) and the infamous Green Bean Casserole, as well as my favorite, French Silk Pie. The sausage ball recipe I know by heart, however, because it is so simple.

3 cups of Bisquick

8-10 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese (grated)

One pound of ground sausage

Here’s where the magic comes in—it’s in how you combine the ingredients. Cooking, I’ve discovered, is a lot like writing: everyone has access to the same ingredients but it’s how you mix them that makes the difference.

I personally find the choice of cheese critical. Too mild, and the flavor is lost in the flour. These days I prefer an extra sharp Vermont white. The average block of cheese comes in 8 oz packages, and that definitely works, but I think the extra 2 ounces makes a difference. Over the years, my choice in brands of sausage has changed, but mostly I go for the regular flavor Jimmy Dean. My sister is keen on the hot sausage, but that’s just not right in my book!

You need a large mixing bowl because mixing the ingredients is crucial to the outcome. Measure out your Bisquick in advance and place it in a smaller bowl or you will create a flour bomb in your kitchen before all is said and done. Place the unwrapped sausage in your large mixing bowl and start adding a small amount of Bisquick and crated cheese. Work the flour and cheese into the sausage by hand, kneading and folding the dry ingredients into the moist sausage. It will seem easy at first, and kind of fun.  The key, however, is to go slow. Don’t be in a hurry to add more flour and cheese until you get what you’ve already added thoroughly worked in. Don’t get greedy either, and add too much at one time. Every time I’m tempted to do that, I picture my grandmother methodically working the ingredients together, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms. Patience, Grasshopper, it’s a virtue.

Toward the end of the flour and cheese additions, you might feel as though the sausage can’t take any more. If you’re like me, you’ll be tempted to rush the ending just to get it done. Resist the temptation! Just like a story, the ending is the most important part! If you need to do so, you can add a tablespoon or two of warm water to the flour-sausage-cheese mix to allow you to finish mixing it in. Don’t add too much or you’ll end up with dough!

Now comes the most important part of all: rolling the mixture into balls. No, really, this is important. Pinch off a bit of the sausage mixture and roll it in between your palms until it forms a nice, tight ball.  Put a little pressure on it—this is your last chance to thoroughly mix the ingredients. If your balls are too big, they will taste doughy. If too small, they will overcook. They should fit nicely into the center of your palm as you roll your hands together.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and bake the balls on a metal baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remember, you’re cooking sausage so you want them well done without being scorched. I prefer the coated air bake cookie sheets, but then, I do tend to burn things. I put the first batch in the oven and continue to roll out the rest while it is baking. One batch is usually enough to serve for at least two meals or two parties. They freeze nicely, and if you’re re-heating a bunch of them, wrap them in foil and toss them in the oven at 350 degrees F.

Sadly, I’ve developed a wheat allergy and I can no longer eat sausage balls. I put that to the test this year (and regretted it), so I’m stumped. I’m going to try gluten free Bisquick for the next round, so who knows. Miracles do happen at Christmas.

Find Sarah Madison online!

 

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