It must be an Ohio thing

I have to admit, in preparing to move to Ohio. I could come up with a whole lot for the minus column. No job for me. Ohio State fans. Shopping at Walmart. I prepared for things I've never before up close experienced. Small town life. Farmers. I knew there were regional foods here. Biscuits and gravy (ew). Buckeyes (yum). But I in no way could have prepared myself for sauerkraut balls.

After we went to a party last year where sauerkraut balls were served, I asked my mother in law about them. In case you haven't noticed she's an EXCELLENT reference for me. It turns out she has a recipe for them from a very old Joy of Cooking. We made them last year for Christmas and this year we made a double batch to share with my family when I go up to Michigan for Christmas. They've never heard of them either.

What are sauerkraut balls? They are sauerkraut, pork, ham, corned beef, cream sauce, and dry mustard. The cream sauce is made with milk and flour- my mother in law says it's way better than the cream cheese variety. Who am I to argue? Then they're chilled overnight and the next day we roll them into balls. The balls then get rolled in flour, egg wash and bread crumbs. Then my mother in law deep fries them and they're done. And yummy to boot.

Even though I love them, I think it would be physically impossible to eat an entire batch in one sitting. Fortunately, they freeze well and then can be reheated in the oven. This makes them the perfect party snack because you can make them ahead of time.

I realize by now your mouth is watering and you are ready to try these tasty delights and are just reading this to get to the recipe. Well. I don't have it. Sorry. I don't really want it. I like making them with my mother in law and as long as she has the recipe I'm OK with that.