Ham Balls! OK, so these are not the ham balls my high school served. Those were salty and boring. I have an aunt who says she hates cooking and doesn't do a lot of it (just basic meals) but I have about 4 recipes of hers that I use on a consistent basis, so she's doing something right! One of those 4 recipes are these ham balls. Not sure where she found this recipe but it's a goodie. I serve it with either mashed potatoes or cheesy shredded hash browns (will make sure to add that recipe soon), and a veggie. The glaze make the balls!
Ham Balls
1/2 # ground beef
1# ham loaf (my grocer stocks this, otherwise just ask at the meat counter)
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c oatmeal or cracker crumbs
Mix this together and form into 2" balls. Then roll the balls in some flour, this gives them a little "crust" when you bake them. Next, place them in a 9 x 13 baking dish. The recipe says to chill for 2 hrs, but I've never done this and it doesn't seem to make a difference. One quick tip here -- make a double batch and freeze half in the freezer. Then you have a quick supper on a hectic night. Just increase the baking time by 15 min to allow time to thaw in the oven (or throw in fridge that morning to thaw all day). OK! Now,
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 T dry mustard
1/4 c white vinegar
1/2 c water
Mix this together in a small saucepan on the stove, then bring to a boil. BE CAREFUL!!! This WILL boil over and it WILL be a headache to clean up. So just keep a careful eye on it. Here's another tip, I really like this glaze and I put my balls in a 7 x 10" dish so the glaze is deeper in the dish and doesn't seem to disappear like it does in the bigger dish. So, if I do use the bigger dish I make a slightly bigger batch of the glaze. Ok, now you pour that delicious, but STINKY, glaze over the balls, throw it in the oven and bake it at 375 degrees for 1 hour. That stinky smells goes away as it bakes (it's the vinegar) so don't panic when you're boiling it and gagging, that's not how it tastes in the end.
This is a super good, super easy dish. It is fancy enough to make for Easter dinner or Christmas supper, but I make it monthly on a Tuesday night (or whatever night, what I'm saying is you can make it as an 'every day' dish). I hope you give it a try! If you do, let me know what you think.
One quick cutesie story about my Bren. On the way home from the grocery store today I said to Bren "I love you!" He said back "Thank you." :)
Talk to you soon!
Erin
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