Ham Balls, A Traditional Easter Fair....?

Right before Easter, we went to visit some friends of ours in Northern Mid-Mo. It is always a pleasure getting to mingle with this dear family. Not to mention, Baby D is infatuated with Mr. Brocks farming skills, and how he handles his beloved piggies. Thus, as we were all reminiscing (HH and Brocks dad, Mr D. or as I refer to him as Mr. Delightful, were fraternity brothers), the conversion some how switched gears and we began chatting about traditional Easter cuisine. Mr. D expressed to us that each year his mother makes an elegant dish that they call "Ham Balls", to serve as their staple entree. Now, I have never heard of "Ham Balls"! Meatballs, Turkey balls, even Tofu balls; But Ham Balls was a first. So needless to say I was quite intrigued by this new notion. So much so, that I had to get the recipe and try it for myself. Let me just say that not only was I impressed, by the outcome on this new twist of comfort food, but our whole family was blown away by how scrumptious these Ham balls actually were. You have what seems to be a "traditional" meatball recipe plus the ham, but then you dredged it in the sauce. The sauce my peeps is to die for! This sauce is pure culinary genius! We could not get enough of it, I would definitely recommend doubling, if not tripling it. The sweetness, the hint of the vinegar base, the whole savory combination is really quite tantalizing to your taste buds. This my friends is a must try, recipe!


Ham Balls

1 1/2 lbs of ground ham (ask your local butcher to do this for you, and yes you can get this done here in town)
1 lb ground hamburger
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Form into balls about half the size of your hand when making as fist. Place into a greased baking dish.

Sauce for Ham Balls

1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 cup vinegar (either one, I used apple cider)
1/2 cup H20
Pour over Ham Balls. I actually doubled this recipe, and saved half of the sauce for dipping into later. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Voila!

Enjoy,
Farming Fabulously

Program Note: This recipe is courtesy of Mr. & Mrs D. Thank you for sharing this proven family recipe with us and all our blogging community.