Easy, tasty, sweet spicy sausage cheese balls that are also gluten free.
In time for New Year and early for Super Bowl. It was when it was first published.
Sweet, spicy sausage balls. about 36 x one tablespoons mouthfuls.
One of my January 2018 recipes for Beyond Celiac (formerly National Foundation for Celiac Awareness). Just to brag, I have written a monthly column for them since January 2011, that shows that I do know what I am talking about with food. Many others make many mistakes, to your detriment.
I know this recipe has been around for years, mainly cooked with Bisquick I think. I've only used Bisquick on a few occasions, so decided to try other add ins. FYI, most recipes quote 3 c Bisquick (wheat, gf Bisquick version had very small amount of sausage), 1 lb sausage meat and 1 lb of cheese.
Yes, two different dips in bowl, love the look of the dish, but more space for dip than sausage balls. Yankee Swop.
I used my favorite Jones Dairy Farm sausage meat, always labeled gf. Remember that meat comes under USDA and DOES NOT have to follow FDA gf labeling guidelines, plus quality sausage meat should be naturally gf. The quality of the sausage meat is really important. Years ago I bought an unknown brand of maple sausage thinking it would be tasty and it was mainly melted fat, total waste of money. Some people have quoted hot sausage, plus pepper jack. I like to make a recipe to as small a quantity as possible first time, so less chance of waste. I tried this with a larger quantity of corn chex and felt the flavor of the corn chex was too strong. I then tried soft breadcrumbs, mushy and horrible to me. I've read of using panko, didn't have any, crushed pork stuffing mix - I think that would be a good way of adding flavor, Southern recipe using cornmeal and I had none left after Holidays corn bread. We liked this version, keeps well in the fridge and is moist not dry.
1 x 12 oz (375 g) Jones Dairy Farm raw sausage meat, thawed, labeled gf. Remove from fridge about half an hour before mixing. Cut open plastic bag and peel bag away from sausage meat like a banana.
2 oz (56g) soft cream cheese - I buy lite.
1/4 c (60ml) hot pepper jelly - gives a nice slightly sweet bite.
1/4 c (60ml) my tomato relish. (One of my September 2017 recipes for Beyond Celiac)
1 c (240 ml) corn chex crushed to 1/2 c (120 ml). Rice chex if you can't have corn chex, but corn does add a bit of flavor.
1 c (4 oz, 112g) Shredded Swiss Cheese or Strong Cheddar. MiId cheddar has very little flavor.
2 tsp (10 ml) gf baking powder.
pinch of garlic powder.
No added salt or pepper - it really doesn't need it, and think twice about recipes that add teaspoons of salt to a recipe already containing a lot of salt.
1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. I find it easiest to put all ingredients except for sausage meat in bowl of mixer, mix together until well blended. Or mix with scrupulously clean hands - I use the disposable latex gloves.
3. Mix in sausage meat.
4. I use a #60, one tablespoon (15 ml) scoop (number is engraved inside bowl of scoop), available at Kitchen stores, Home Goods, on line etc. Scoop meat against side of bowl, squish meat around outside of scoop back onto the bottom. I've never been one that likes to spend forever forming meat into really tidy balls, but I do try to make sure there isn't an excess of meat on outside of scoop. Plop ball onto a lined jelly roll pan, broiler pan, pam sprayed cooling rack sitting on pan with edges, skillet with ridges. It does help fat to drain away if balls are raised above surface of cooking pan. A flat cookie sheet means fat dripping on floor of stove and smoking.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until softly firm, cut one open to check it's fully cooked. Some recipes talk about them being crispy, perhaps if you broil them or cook for longer.
6. I've used Maries Italian and Chipotle Ranch dip/dressing, Rothschilds Pineapple Coconut Tequila sauce, Sweet Chili Sauce. Others say bbq sauce.
Options:
Instead of my tomato relish, perhaps salsa for moistness and even more heat, some pesto, cilantro and chili peppers, sage and maple syrup, Stonewall Kitchen Curried Mango grill sauce in sausage and to serve. Crush some cornbread instead of chex. Get creative. I've tried them with chopped water chestnuts for crunch, chopped bread and butter pickles.
