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)

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Sauerkraut balls are Akron’s answer to Buffalo wings — a fiercely local food that defines a city’s identity. Born in the German and Polish immigrant communities of Northeast Ohio, they first appeared in Akron-area restaurants in the early 1960s. Bunny B Foods, founded in Akron in 1964, became the original commercial producer and helped cement the dish as a regional icon; sauerkraut balls were officially voted Akron’s dish in 1996. They’re almost unknown outside of NE Ohio — even native Germans are puzzled by them — making them a true American regional invention. Terri Board’s version is a classic: browned sausage and onion, well-drained sauerkraut, parsley, and beef bouillon bound with butter and flour, chilled, rolled into small balls, double-coated in breadcrumbs, and deep fried until golden. Make ahead and freeze before or after frying — they warm up beautifully in a 400° oven.

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 mixture.
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.
Deep fry at 350° until golden brown. Or freeze before frying and deep fry when needed.
Already-fried balls can be frozen and reheated in a 400° oven or microwave.