Cheese and Sausage Balls, a la Louisiana

Summary: Growing up, cheese and sausage balls were a ubiquitous holiday presence. They are a delicious and easy hors d'oeuvres or snack full of Louisiana flavor and kick.

Yield: about 60

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spicy pork sausage (I like andouille or hot Italian), casings removed
• 1 pound sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, grated
• 3 cups organic pancake mix (I use Whole Foods' buttermilk pancake mix)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• cayenne for sprinkling

Instructions:

In a 10" skillet, lightly brown the sausage to release some of the grease, crumbling the meat as you go. Drain on paper towels if necessary. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix together the browned sausage, grated cheese, and baking mix. By the eighth-cup, add buttermilk until the mix comes together. You don't want this to be wet, but you do want to be able to roll the mix into balls. Using a spoon and your hands, make walnut-size balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with cayenne. Cook until brown (about 15 mins), cool and serve or store.