At the Irish Parade |
St Patrick’s
Day has always been a fun holiday for us and a reason to spend time with family and friends. Our day always starts with breakfast then off
for a fun filled day with a stop at our favorite tavern, then an Irish parade,
followed by visiting the Irish Family Reunion and then back to our favorite St.
Patty’s Day tavern, the Hey Hey Bar and Grill.
The Hey Hey is
actually located in an old immigrant neighborhood called German Village
where my mother grew up. When young, my father (who was mostly Irish) was
visiting his sister Mary, (who lived near German Village )
and met my mother (who is German).
I also married
an Irishman, and both our German and Irish
heritages are celebrated and embraced by my husband and I and our children.
My husband Bill
was even at the Hey Hey for their Friday Steak-fry lunch with business
associates back in 1989 when I went into labor with our daughter Alexis. After numerous phone calls to locate him, I
was able to find him in time for our daughter’s entrance into the world.
The Hey Hey
serves traditional food on St. Patrick’s Day including Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Coffee.
And their famous Sauerkraut Balls are served every day. These delicious morels were even featured in MidWest
Living Magazine!
Cold beer and good food at the Hey Hey |
The Hey Hey Bar and Grill was built in 1900.
"During Prohibition, it was a speakeasy, one of the few well
documented in Columbus .
At that time, the windows were closed up and the patrons said that they were
playing cards! The gentlemen who brought the bootleg would always say, “Hey! Hey! The Beer’s Here!” They became known as the Hey Hey Boys and the name stuck!"
The current owners, Sue and Tim Gall have owned and
operated the Hey Hey since 1981. The Hey
Hey is located at 361 E. Whittier, Columbus ,
Ohio.
The Hey Hey is a true, old-school, neighborhood tavern. And that’s one of the reasons we like it, because it retains a true neighborhood bar feel. Recently they have allowed well known food truck chefs to work out of the kitchen Thursdays to Saturdays which has really kicked up the “bar food” to a whole new level. And thank goodness the Sauerkraut Balls and Yak burgers still remain on the menu!
I got a terrible craving for the Sauerkraut Balls so decided to make a batch.
Here are a couple things to know before making the sauerkraut balls.
Make sure to drain the sauerkraut well.
Pat dry with paper towels even.
The sauerkraut balls may be a little squishy inside if you don’t.
You may also
want to add one slightly beaten egg to the meat mixture to help it set up a
little better, but it was not in the original recipe.
Also, these
homemade sauerkraut balls are delicious but I must tell you there is nothing
like eating the real thing while setting at the bar holding on to a stout and
enjoying the atmosphere at the Hey Hey!
Hey Hey Sauerkraut Balls
The Hey Hey making Sauerkraut Ball |
Ingredients:
1/2 pound regular
or spicy pork sausage
¼ cup onion,
diced
1 (16 oz) can
sauerkraut, drained
2 Tablespoons
seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons
chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon sweet
hot mustard
Pinch of pepper
and garlic salt
4 ounces cream
cheese, softened
Coating:
1/3 to ½ cup
flour
1/3 to ½ C.
seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs,
slightly beaten
2 Tbls water
Oil for frying
Directions: (Recipe can be doubled)
Cook sausage
until nearly done then add onion. Cook
until onions are translucent.
Crumble sausage
into very small pieces. Drain and cool.
Drain sauerkraut well |
Make sure to
drain the sauerkraut well. Pat dry with
paper towels even. The sauerkraut balls
may be a little squishy inside if you don’t.
In a large
bowl, mix together sausage, sauerkraut, 2 Tbls bread crumbs, parsley,
mustard, garlic salt, and pepper. Cut
cream cheese into small pieces and mix well with sausage mixture. Cover and
chill in refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.
Mix ingredients together |
Remove from
refrigerator when ready to cook.
Place 1/3 to ½
cup bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Beat 2 eggs with water and place in a
second shallow
dish and place flour in a third shallow dish.
Using 2 Tbls,
roll the chilled sausage mixture into balls.
Roll balls in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs |
Dredge sausage
balls one at a time in flour then egg and then the bread crumbs.
Pour oil into
deep skillet to 3 inches deep. Cook
sauerkraut ball in hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes.
Deep fry until golden brown |
Transfer to paper towels to drain then place on a baking sheet and keep in a 275 degrees oven until all are cooked.
Place balls on a cookie sheet and keep in 275 degree oven |
Serve
warm but not hot.
Serve with your
favorite cheesy sauce, Dijon
or spicy brown mustard.
"Here's to a long
life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty lover and an honest one.
A cold pint-- and another one!"
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty lover and an honest one.
A cold pint-- and another one!"
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S
DAY!!
7 comments:
Sauerkraut balls? Never heard of them but clicked on your blog to see what they were, now saved as a favorite, I love your web site!
Their delicious I can tell you!
Love sauerkraut balls although my recipe is a little different than Hey Hey bars. Brenda Pedigo
That's it. I'm coming to live with you!! Marie Smith
Marie, just read your comment and it made me laugh and choke on my coffee, haha
I made approximately 36 sauerkraut balls ( about 1 1/2 tablespoons big each). My son Daniel and a couple of his friends finished them off almost before my hubby Bill and I got any!
I bet!! Especially the HeyHey Bar recipe. Omg. Those are the best! Marie Smith
Post a Comment