Apple Sage Sausage Balls

I love cooking, but making a big breakfast for family and friends is my very favorite thing to do.  I honed those skills while cooking breakfast 5 out of 7 days a week when we owned Walnut Grove Bed and Breakfast.  Now my life moves at a much slower pace (thank heavens!) and I make a cooked breakfast when we need a break from our everyday bowl of oatmeal 🙂

The flavor of these sausage balls always takes everyone by surprise.  They are very tasty and the apple in them gives a hint of sweetness while still maintaining the full flavor of the sausage.  I like to make up a big batch and always have some ready to go in the freezer.  Since I am on an “apple” roll I thought it was time to share this great recipe.  Maybe this weekend you will have a chance to mix up a batch.  It is fast and the end result is so surprisingly tasty!

**SAGE SAUSAGE BALLS
**

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds bulk sage sausage; we use Williams Sausage, but your favorite will be fine!
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup chopped apple
• 1 cup Pepperidge Farms Stuffing Mix
• ½ cup chopped onions or ¼ cup dried onions
• 2 eggs

Mix all ingredients together.  Grease 12 muffin cups or 36 mini-muffin cups.

Fill cups.  Bake at 350 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes for large muffin tin, and 20 minutes for mini-muffin pans.  The pictures show the sausage made in a mini muffin tin.

Noteworthy:

*  Can be doubled or tripled and frozen.
*  Can use ring mold or loaf pan instead of muffin tins.
*  I like to use Williams’s Extra Sage Sausage but this recipe is equally as good with 1 lb. country sausage and 1 lb. hot sausage.

This is a great compliment to any breakfast entrée.  Be sure to make plenty because they disappear fast.  No one can eat just one!

• A “sage” is any wise teacher, someone who imparts wisdom or the perennial philosophy, including spiritual teachers and teachers of mysticismbut not necessarily with such religious connotations, so may refer to a:

  • Wise old man, a kind, wise, paternal figure, often archetypal or stereotypical
  • Philosopher, particularly one distinguished for wisdom, depth, or sound judgment
  • Poet, particularly of transcendental or devotional poetry
  • Rabbi, Priest, or other clergyman or religious leader

• Sage (Sophos), a Stoic wise man

• Sage (name), a surname and given name (article includes a list of people with the name)