Sauerkraut Balls

We love Sauerkraut Balls. We especially love Sauerkraut Balls on New Year's Eve.  When my kids were little I had come up with a way to make enough for five children and two adults for our celebration even though I always had to work the week between Christmas and New Years. 

This is the recipe that I submitted to our 4-H cookbook. And it is the recipe I still use. 

I would work on each step at night when I was washing the supper dishes. Chilling in between the steps is really important. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled. It is messy to bread them all so I always did a huge batch and frozen some before frying so I wouldn't have to make the mess twice (or three or four times).   

I haven't made them since before 2020. Every year my kids beg me to make them.  This year I told them they could come over the week in between Christmas and New Years and help me.  I bought supplies to make the recipe times five.  Yes, 5 lbs of sausage, a case of sauerkraut, etc.  

Then Mr Merry and I had a really bad respiratory infection the week after Christmas and they did not get made. 

I got tired of tripping over the case of sauerkraut and decided I would make them this week. Sunday I thawed the cream cheese and browned the sausage.  After mixing the recipe, it completely filled a Tupperware fix and mix bowl (just so you can estimate quantity).

Our schools have been cancelled for weather for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday I had a house full of children and the recipe remained chilling. Tuesday I began to roll the balls. My ten year old grandson helped for a little bit but it took me HOURS to roll them all. 

I spent all day today breading them. It turned into an endurance test very quickly. I knew if I tried to do half today and half tomorrow, I would never be able to stand and do it tomorrow. I kept estimating when I would be finished. It was almost 2 more hours than I thought.  

Now they are all in more Tupperware waiting to be frozen, fried or packaged for pickup.  I did come up with a science experiment where I tried to use the air fryer. My solution was 7 minutes at 400 degrees.  My middle son took his already and said he sprayed them with cooking oil before cooking and I am going to try that tomorrow.  

I hate to say it, but they are good in the air fryer. But they are GREAT deep fried. So tomorrow I am going to deep fry some for Mr. Merry and I when we watch tv in the evening.

I am also having a stern talk with myself. Between the arthritis in my hands and bone spurs in my back, I cannot stand and roll all those sauerkraut balls. I had a big reality check of Miss Merry in her early 40's vs Miss Merry in her late 60's.  My first thought was never again. But now that I have taken a bunch of meds and am sitting in my chair, maybe the sane choice would be to just make one batch of the recipe. I always overdo!!

I have a funny story and a sad story. 

When I was making the sauerkraut balls, I told my eight year old grandson that a local burger place has sauerkraut balls on the menu at 6 for $15.  He was stunned. He wondered why people would pay that much when they can just ask their Mimi to make them for them! 

Last night was an exciting night on our scanner.  There were reports of a mass shooting at a little country bar, out past us at a crossroads. They have a great fish fry on Fridays and lots of farmers stop there during the day for lunch. Tuesday night was pool league. Evidently a young man had too much of something and got into some arguments. He decided the way to settle it was to shot into the bar.  Two people were seriously wounded and life flight had to come and pick them up. Today's news is better and they are both expected to make it. Unfortunately guns are very prevalent in my state, open carrying is what the cool kids do and in my gun sanctuary county, you can even bring guns into bars. You just aren't supposed to drink if you have one.  I'm pretty sure most of the guys there last night were armed. And yet they took down the gunman with a punch and a whack with a bar stool.