I’m not sure how these evolved into a Christmas snack, but
I bet it has something to do with the fact you can stretch a few pounds
of meat and cheese into enough finger food for a large crowd. They can also be
made ahead, which helps in the old holiday time management department.
This is a recipe where everyone uses the same basic
ingredients, but in wildly different proportions. Look online, and you’ll see
versions with half the amount of biscuit mix, as well as ones with three times
as much. It all depends on how bready verses cheesy/meaty you want your balls
to be.
The bad news is, the only way to figure out your ideal formula
is to test multiple versions. This is also the good news. Speaking of formulas,
this originally calls for biscuit mix (like Bisquick), but I prefer to use
self-rising flour. Besides some added fat, that’s all biscuit mix is, and
a little extra cheese more than makes up for any missing shortening.
If you have some biscuit mix in the cupboard, by all means
use it, but otherwise I see no need to go out and buy a box. If you don’t have
self-rising flour, I’ve given instructions below for how to make your own. I
really hope you give these sausage cheese balls a try soon. Enjoy!
Makes about 48 sausage cheese balls:
1 1/4 pounds raw hot Italian pork sausage meat (just remove the casing from uncooked, link-style sausages)
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup finely sliced green onions
1/2 pound shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 3 cups)
2 cups biscuit mix, or self-rising flour (*see below to make
your own)
2 tablespoons milk
- Bake at 450F. for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked
through (I like to broil for a minute or two for extra color)
* To make your own self-rising flour, sift together 2 cups
of all-purpose flour, with 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.
37 comments:
Hello Chef John,
What can I substitue the pork sausage with, a beef or chicken version?
Any seasoned raw ground meat will work! How well? I can't say, but physically it will work.
Hello Chef John,
Thanks for another great video! What type of camera do you use to produce your series?
This is not a weird solicitation, we just love your style.
Yes you can double dip and eat them all, I double dip and claim what's left. I always check to make sure another batch is not soon to be rushed out of the kitchen though.
I would also say to stay away from artisan ground, fancy (i.e. expensive) sausage. I found that the fat in the sausage does most of the binding work, and most of those artisan grinds are much too rough to let the fat melt/soften and bind everything together. In this recipe, cheap is great! I personally use white sharp cheddar and Swedish Farmer's cheese in a 3:1 ratio. The farmers get really annoyed, but I find the mix really sets it apart.
what is the difference if i use "bisquick" or the self rising flour? I have bisquick on hand is why I ask
Hi, John! Why are you so scratched the metal bowl for mixing? ))) Is it time to replace it?
This stuff is great. And I'm sober.
Can those balls be deepfried?
Made them for my holiday party and they were a hit. Had multiple sauces to accompany but the dijonaise was the preferred sauce. Thanks Chef John.
Whoa, Chef John, whoa! I'm still back on the salted caramel custard!
There's only going to be 6 of us gathering around this Christmas Eve. I'm already planning to make the caramel custard and the tea cakes, and now I'm thinking about these sausage balls.....not sure how I'm going to manage all this. Maybe if I get the Jimmy Dean sausage.....well, however it gets done, this is gonna be one blitzin' Christmas Eve!
Thank you for the recipes!
These looked so good that im cooking them at 8am on a Sunday. I don't do ANYTHING at 8am on a Sunday.
Well you can turn this in a hamburger , yummy. Thanks Chef ! :)
Hi Chef John,
Is there an alternative to the green onions you can recommend? Would garlic or chives work?
I'm making a batch from pork and another batch from ground soy
Can you make them a day ahead and serve room temperature?
double dip? Thats how I reserve the plate for me....
Hi Chef John,
I'm guessing these would be fantastic if paired with your Remoulad sauce 2.0?
I can't see how it would miss ; )
Greetings Chef John, Going to try Asiago cheese. Do you see any problem?
Thanks
I'm not sure how much cheese to use. It says 1/2 pound, which is 8 ounces. But when I see the bags of shredded cheese at the supermarket it always shows that 8 ounces is roughly 2 cups not 3.
I love these!
I used to make them in mass quantities and freeze them on a baking sheet then put in a freezer bag. They bake up perfectly from frozen, just give them an extra few minutes. They're great as an accompaniment with soup or salad as well as an appetizer.
Thanks for reminding me, now I need to go and make some!
Hien, the cheese sold shredded in bags is shredded in really large flakes. Go by weight - buy a piece of cheese and grate it.
Confirmed. These go perfect with Chef John's Remoulade 2.0.
Amazeballs! So easy. It was the first dish devoured during the potluck at my local Pub!
Hello Chef John! I tried making these today with a few modifications (since I didn't have sausage or green onion). So I tried it with ground turkey, homemade buffalo sauce, and chives, and it turned out great! The family loved it :) thank you so much for sharing your recipes!
thanks chef for the vids all these years. made this along with the mushroom ricotta bruschetta, "fried" eggplant sandwich, tuscan flank steak, and the salted caramel custard (couldnt find an easy italian desert) for a nice meal for friends. everyone loved the food and id like to pass the compliments on to you. i really do appreciate that you try to teach the concepts behind your food and i think its rubbing off! thanks again
hi chef john, i'm from UK so i'm not familiar with "cup" measurements. i did a search for cup-to-g conversion. so please let me know if these measurements are correct:
1/2 lb cheese = 200g
2 cups flour = 150g
1/2 cup green onion = 30g
thank you
Made these this morning for an HOA coffee morning where most bring sweets to share. They were a BIG hit. Thanks, Chef John!
Hi Chef, I'm wondering could you use crab meat instead?
thanks,
Pat
Hi Chef John,
I made this recipe today for the Superbowl. The only thing I did was 1 1/2 cups of yellow mild cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 pepper jack cheese and used your recipe for self rising flour. These were the BOMB!! Delicious!! I actually made them ahead of time since we didn't have lunch but now I only have 5 left! I made my pizza sauce to dip them in excellent~ They baked up perfectly and they had that crunch on the bottom! P.S. I definitely will be making these again and can't wait to serve these at my next Cookie Party in December!
Thank you so much!!
Sherry
Made with Johnsonville Chorizo flavored sausage and some Muenster cheese. Turned out pretty good.
Dang it! Allrecipes doesn't have this recipe of yours included with all the other sausage cheese ball recipes. Maybe they just haven't gotten to it yet?... Don't worry - I think I can figure this one out on my own. ;) Somewhere someone said to follow the 1-2-3 guideline: 1 lb. sausage, 2 c Bisquick, 3 c cheese. Makes sense to me! Going to serve these to the guys at the next race. I'm pretty sure beer will be involved. Cheers!
I tried and It is delicioussss!!! A hug from Brazil!!
Can I use mexican chorizo in place of the breakfast sausage?
Greetings, My mixture came out rather dry, so I added a few tablespoons of buttermilk in addition to the milk. Also a shake or three of Chalula hit sauce. C'est Manifique.
I put a dash of cayenne in mine. It came out amazing!
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