Sauerkraut and Ham Balls are delicious, crispy croquettes of ham, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese and are perfectly nom.
Sauerkraut and Ham Balls
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Sauerkraut balls are one of my favorite autumn beer snacks. They seem to come several ways: sauerkraut and potato, sauerkraut and sausage, or sauerkraut and ham. In Ohio, they have been a perennial fall festival food for years beyond memory. I think the fire department has a food truck that sells them at the Waynesville Ohio Sauerkraut festival second week of October every year if I remember correctly.
As part of featuring a week of Oktoberfest recipes this year, I knew I wanted to do another type of kraut ball different from the one I posted at Recipezaar years ago. I asked about on my FaceBook page and my cousin Corine made a request for this type. Having already bought a roll of ground ham at Kroger (I has thought I might make a ham loaf with that) I decided to do these instead. It was her birthday recently. And if I can’t cook for her in person, I do it by proxy with the blog. 🙂
I have seen this done by other people using cream cheese, and while I offer that as an option if you can’t find the one I call for, you can do that, but obviously, the Swiss is going to be better. These cheese wedges are soft ones like a cheese ball wrapped in foil wedges- Â not like hard Swiss cheese at all. Â If you are going to be brave and sub with the Swiss, try to at least make a stiff cheese spread with the Swiss cheese.
These do make quite a few balls, but easy enough to freeze off the extra and reheat in an over the way you might do with frozen fries or frozen breaded mushrooms. And delicious served with any sort of dipping sauce although I tend to like the Thousand Island best to counter the tang from the kraut.
I hope you enjoy these for your Oktoberfest celebrations and let me know what you think of them! Until tomorrow-
~Sue
Sauerkraut and Ham Balls
1 hour chill time
30 minutes prep & cook
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground ham
- 16 ounce can sauerkraut, drained, squeezed dry and chopped
- 3 ounces Laughing Cow brand Creamy Swiss Lite cheese wedges (or may use soft cream cheese in a pinch)
- 2 teaspoons Dusseldorf mustard or other German mustard
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dry parsley flakes
- 1 tablespoon dried snipped chives
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
Other:
- 1 cup seasoned flour (season it with salt, pepper, paprika and a little bit of garlic powder)
- 2 eggs whisked with 2 tablespoons water
- 1-2 cups dry bread crumbs
- cooking oil
- dipping sauce (such as 100 Island dressing, mustard or ranch dressing)
Method:
- Make sure you squeeze the kraut dry in  small amounts in your hands, then chop small.
- Then stir kraut together with the  ham, soft Swiss cheese, mustard, seasonings and bread crumbs.
- Chill the dough for  about an hour (enough time to firm up the mixture).
- Heat oil 1-2 inches in a large skillet to 350ÂşF.
- Place seasoned flower, egg wash, and breadcrumbs into three separate bowls.
- Form ham mix into small meatballs, if you wet your hands with cold water occasionally, the mix will stick to your fingers less.
- Roll balls in the flour, then in the egg wash, and finally in the breadcrumbs.
- Fry balls in hot oil until golden, then drain on paper towels.
- Serve with dipping  sauces of  your choice.
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I am a huge sauerkraut fan and I love a good reuben with thousand island – these seem like a great bite sized taste of that- pinning for later!
Yes, in some ways they are a little like them. I hope you enjoy!
Where have these been all of my life? Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
Thanks cuz!! I will make these soon. I will make them with bavarian kraut 🙂
Bavarian kraut works for me! I just try to keep that one out of desserts. LOL!
Can you freeze them after they are fried and then thaw and reheat?
I have not done it myself, but I think they would be fine, then reheated in an oven. If you have already made them, do a test run with one piece freezing for a couple of hours then reheating it to see if you kike it that way. For myself, I have reheated cold ones from the fridge very well, so you can at least do that.
Can you substitute or 1/2 ham and corned beef.
Subbing corned beef will be fine.