Cooking Up a Hooley in the Kitchen: A Little Luck of the Irish

Cooking Up a Hooley In the Kitchen: A Little Luck of the Irish
By Katie Gagne

One of my greatest treasures is my mom’s recipe boxes.

Each fall, I go through them and pull out all the handwritten index cards, many with little stains from years of use. These recipes have been part of our family holiday celebrations for decades. One of my favorite is this tasty little ball of goodness. It is a wonderful appetizer to bring along to parties as well as one of those foods we eat for a bit of luck as we head into the New Year.

Irish Sauerkraut Balls

½ stick Unsalted Butter

1 medium White Onion – minced

1 Garlic Clove – minced

12 ounces Cooked Corned Beef – sliced or diced small

¼ cup AP Flour

3 cups of Sauerkraut – drained and ground small

1 tablespoon Dried Parsley

2 eggs

3 cups Panko Bread Crumbs

1 cup AP Flour

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

½ teaspoon Ground Mustard

2 teaspoons Paprika

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil for frying

½ cup of Thousand Island Dressing or Horseradish Sauce for dipping.

In a large skillet, sauté the onion, garlic clove, and corned beef until slightly browned.

Stir in the flour and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add in the sauerkraut, ground mustard, and a dash of black pepper. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat and place in a medium bowl, let cool and chill for at least two hours. You can also make this the night before or a day or two before stored in covered Tupperware and refrigerated.

Using a small scoop, roll the mixture into balls and I usually freeze them for about 20 minutes to help them hold their shape.

Using a typical dredging method – place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Season the 3 mixtures with the pepper. Garlic salt, and paprika.

Dredge each sauerkraut ball first in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs.

Cook in a skillet with about a half inch of vegetable oil over medium heat, turning frequently to cook all sides.

Have a baking sheet on hand lined with paper towels to place the cooked balls on.

Sprinkle a tiny dash of course Kosher salt over the top.

Serve with Thousand Island Dressing or Horseradish Sauce and enjoy. 

*Katie Gagne teaches English at Trinity High School in Garfield Heights. She is also the owner of her in-home bakery Sassy’s Sweets and Oh So Much More. You can contact her at (440) 773-4459 or at [email protected], or find her on Facebook at @sassyssweetsandmore.