Stuffing Balls

Holiday entertaining can be stressful even under the best of circumstances, which is why making some appetizers that store well in the freezer or fridge in advance can make your full house seem effortless and stress free. My stuffing balls are easy to make, bite size balls that taste like a Christmas party for your taste buds. The fragrant orange zest, lean turkey, salted smoked bacon, savory sage and tart cranberry sauce all work together mimicking holiday turkey dinner. I have also made this recipe in a loaf pan to create a holiday inspired meatloaf which tasted delicious as the main event and also left over in a sandwich with butter lettuce and Dijon mustard or cranberry sauce. To make this easy and fabulous tasting appetizer you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients
Yield 36 stuffing balls

1 1/2 pounds lean turkey
5 oz. smoked bacon end
12 sage leaves
1 large yellow onion cut into chunks
4 oil packed sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. white pepper
zest and juice of one large orange
3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup to 1 1/2 oats or bread crumbs- Start with one cup and add more if the mixture is too wet and can not be rolled into bite size balls.



1. In a food processor pulse together the onion, bacon, sage leaves and sun dried tomatoes until the ingredients are pulsed almost into a paste. Scoop this mixture into a large bowl.
2.  Add the lean turkey and the remainder of the ingredients to the bowl and mix by hand until well combined.

Note:

If you are ever unsure if you meatballs, stuffing balls or meatloaf is seasoned correctly you can roll out a mini ball and fry it in some canola oil to test the flavor before moving on the next step. Once you taste your sample, adjust seasoning if necessary. If you are happy with the flavor move on to the next steps.

 

3. Roll out bite size stuffing balls and place them on a sheet pan. If you notice that the balls are not rolling out easily and the mixture is still very wet, just add more oats or breadcrumbs until you achieve the perfect consistency. There is no egg in this recipe because I found that the bacon keeps this mixture extremely moist and flavorful and the egg was not needed.

 



 

4. In a deep saucepan heat up 1 1/2 cups of canola oil and fry up your stuffing balls until crispy on all sides and cooked through. If you prefer not to fry them you can bake them on a parchment lined baking sheet until crispy and cooked through as a healthier alternative.

 

 

 

5. Once cooked place on a paper towel lined sheet pan to allow the canola oil to roll off the exterior.

6. Serve immediately with cranberry sauce on the side for dipping.

7. If you are making these in advance, cool before storing them in the fridge. Once cooked they can stay in the fridge for up to three days.  Microwave them when needed until hot and serve immediately. If you wish to freeze them only par cook the stuffing balls in the canola oil or oven so they do not dry out when you bake them for your guests from frozen. I recommend baking them for 20-25 minutes on 350 degrees from frozen.

8. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf and toothpick or toss half of them into a pan glaze an alternate option.

 

 

Pan Glaze

 

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp.. chili sauce

salt and pepper if needed

 

1.Mix all the above ingredients into a sauce pan and simmer on medium heat until sauce thickens into a sweet and spicy glaze.

2. Toss the some of the stuffing balls into the glaze until hot and well coated. Serve immediately garnished with orange zest and scallions.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

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