Deep-Fried Stuffing Balls
Another delicious post from Kelly. Fried and stuffing in the same sentence? Yes, please! Xx EB
Many people say that Thanksgiving is the best Holiday of the year. After all, you get to eat your face off, watch football, and relax; all without the pressure of having to buy gifts for people (some of whom you might not even like!). It's no secret that Thanksgiving and football go hand-in-hand. Between high school football games at your local fields and the full day of NFL match ups, you can't escape America's obsession. I happen to love football (go Patriots!) but even if you don't, there are certainly ways to enjoy it. Take, for instance, the best part of going to a game: TAILGATING!
Last year, my friend Kerry Byrne, ColdHardFootballFacts.com founder, publisher, and self-proclaimed "Potentate of Pigskin," asked me to co-host a television special with him that would outline how to make a complete Thanksgiving meal while tailgating. Titled "A Thanksgiving Tailgate," we filmed the special at Gillette Stadium last fall and the special aired throughout New England on Thanksgiving Day to the delight of millions! (Well, more like hundreds of thousands, but who's counting?)
Kerry isn't just a football fact maven; this guy is also a food & beer expert writing articles for various national magazines. Thus, he knows good cookin'. When he churned out a recipe at the tailgate for "Deep Fried Stuffing Balls," I knew that I had found a friend for life. I mean, this recipe was so good that I literally could not stop eating. It was like that potato chip dilemma; you can never eat just one. These deep fried stuffing balls were sooo scrumptious and delicious that his mother, Nancy Byrne, and I made up a song called "Stuffing Balls" that we easily sang for a half-hour. It's sure to be the next big hit on iTunes!
Kerry was gracious enough to share his recipe with us. Go ahead and try this delightful stuffing concoction for your meal this year. And, if you're not that into cooking, go ahead and buy the store bought stuffing. It won't be quite as good (his recipe calls for WINE!), but trust me, these deep fried stuffing balls are sure to become a big hit and be a new tradition for your football filled Thanksgiving celebration!
Thanksgiving Tailgate Deep-Fried Stuffing
The What
- 1 stick butter
- 3 10½-oz. cans Campbell’s beef consommé
- 1 c. onion, finely chopped
- 1 c. celery, finely chopped
- ¾ c. marinated green olives, chopped
- 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ c. beer or white wine
- 1 T. thyme
- 1 T. sage
- 1 T. celery salt
- ½ T. dried minced onion
- Few shakes of Tabasco
- 2 14-ounce bags of dried stuffing mix
The How
Heat consommé on stovetop and melt butter in it. Do not boil. Put onion, celery, olives, Worcestershire sauce, beer or wine, thyme, sage, celery salt, minced onion and Tabasco in a small bowl and mix well. Let sit for about 20 minutes.
Crush dried stuffing mixture in the bags by hand to break up all the large pieces into fine pieces, being careful not to blow open the bag.
Pour dried stuffing into a large mixing bowl. Add the onion-beer-and-herb mixture and blend by hand. Pour hot beef consommé into a large, deep sauce pan. Add the moistened stuffing mixture to the beef consommé and mix until well incorporated. Mixture should be very moist, but not so wet that it can’t be formed into balls. Add hot water or some more hot beef consommé if the mixture is not moist enough.
Roll mixture into balls of about 2-inches in diameter. Fry in 350-degree oil, about 3 minutes, until nice and brown on the outside.
Makes about 20 deep-fried stuffing balls.
Find the original recipe on coldhardfootballfacts.com
What’s the craziest food you’ve ever fried?
I wanna know. Share below.
Photo Credit: bostonherald.com / Patrick Whittemore, Kerry Byrne
