Gluten Free Sausage Balls

It’s not like these gluten free sausage balls are going to replace your Thanksgiving turkey or anything, but they sure make a perfect nibble for brunch, or the big game.

Ingredients

FOR THE SAUSAGE BALLS

• 1 ¾ Cups of your favorite gluten-free pancake mix
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika optional
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese yellow or white, grated
• 2 medium-size shallots peeled and finely grated
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
• 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
• 1 pound gluten-free bulk sweet Italian pork sausage or regular sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

• ½ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha
• ½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper, and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the pancake mix, pepper and optional paprika, and whisk to combine well.
3. Add the grated cheddar cheese and toss to coat the cheese in the dry ingredients.
4. Add the grated shallots, melted butter, and beaten egg, and mix to combine well. Add the sausage and tear it into rough chunks with moistened fingers.
5. Using a large spoon, mix the sausage into the grated cheese and dry ingredient mixture until everything is evenly distributed. Press down on the mixture with the bowl of the spoon to break up the sausage properly.
6. Using two teaspoons or your clean, moistened hands, scoop or pull off pieces of the mixture that are each about 1 1/2 tablespoons in volume. Place the pieces about 1 1/2-inches from one another on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Again, using your clean, moistened hands, roll each portion very tightly into rounds about 1-inch in diameter. Return them to the baking sheet.
8. Be sure to roll the balls tight, pressing them together all the way to the center. Otherwise, they tend to separate during baking.
9. Place the sausage balls in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
10. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the sausage balls to set briefly before serving.
11. While the sausage balls are cooling, place all the dipping sauce ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Whisk vigorously until well-combined.
12. Sprinkle the sausage balls with chopped parsley and serve warm with the dipping sauce.