Appetizers

Sauerkraut Balls

Name: Sauerkraut Balls
Ingredients: 4 Tbsp butter; 1 handful chopped onion; 1 lb. sausage; 4 Tbsp flour; 1 Tbsp parsley; ½ c beef bouillon broth; 3 c sauerkraut; Flour, egg & milk, and breadcrumbs (for coating)

From the kitchen of Terri Board

Sauerkraut balls are a distinctly NE Ohio appetizer — so regional that most Americans outside the area have never heard of them. They trace directly to the large German immigrant communities that settled Cleveland, Akron, and the surrounding counties in the 19th century, bringing their love of fermented cabbage with them. For a family with roots in the German-Alsatian tradition, these were practically a birthright.

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Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter
1 handful chopped onion
1 lb. sausage
4 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp parsley
½ c beef bouillon broth
3 c sauerkraut
Flour, egg & milk, and breadcrumbs (for coating)

Instructions

Melt butter in skillet, add onion and brown. Add sausage and brown.
Stir in flour until it disappears. Drain sauerkraut well — cut through with a knife — and add to sausage.
Add parsley and beef bouillon broth. Stir until stiff. Put in bowl and chill.
Roll into balls about ½ Tbsp each and chill again.
Dip balls in flour, then egg & milk, then breadcrumbs. Repeat dipping a second time.
Freeze now if desired and deep fry when needed, or deep fry now at 350° until golden brown.
Can be frozen after frying and warmed up in oven at 400° or microwave.

💡 Tip: These freeze beautifully at two stages: before frying or after. Great for parties!