Christmastime Staples: Sausage Balls

Sausage balls, along with homemade hot cocoa, are one of the Christmas morning traditions in my family. One of the reasons that I look forward to it every year is because Christmas morning at my mom's house is literally the one day of the year that I ever have sausage balls.

I sense that some of you might be smirking. Yes, sadly, in the court of public opinion, sausage balls seem to have been relegated to that realm occupied by fruitcake and eggnog - holiday foods that everyone serves, but no one really likes. And truth be told, there are a lot of bad sausage balls floating around out there.

I think the problem with most sausage balls is that they're too dry. My Aunt Judy's recipe is the only one I've seen that adds water to the usual mix of sausage, cheese and Bisquick. The resulting balls actually don't have much of a ball shape, but rather look more like little mounds. But they have a much better texture, in my opinion - almost like little fresh-from-the-oven savory cookies. And speaking of fresh-from-the-oven, another tip that I have learned is that sausage balls are much better when they're fresh. Take them out of the oven, let them rest for 2-3 minutes, then dig in. Once they get to room temperature, they're not nearly as good.

AUNT JUDY'S SAUSAGE BALLS

Ingredients:

-1 lb sausage

-1 lb mild cheddar cheese

-3 cups Bisquick

-1.5 cups water

-fresh ground black pepper

1. Brown sausage, then chop it up fine (or run it through the food processor for a couple of pulses).

2. Combine sausage, cheese, Bisquick, water and however much pepper you think is appropriate in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

3. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Scoop spoonfuls of the mix onto a greased baking sheet.

5. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until the edges of the mounds are brown and crispy.