Sausage & Cheese Gougères

Sausage balls are a standard Southern hors d'oeuvre. The classic version calls for combining Bisquick, breakfast sausage, and cheddar cheese, rolling into bite-sized balls, and baking. Although deeply savory, these little snacks can be a bit dense because of the biscuit mix. So we decided to lighten them up by using a delicate choux pastry dough instead, which puffs up and creates hollow, airy pockets on the inside and a beautifully golden brown, thin crust on the outside. These are perfect as an appetizer or an elegant addition to a brunch table.

Ingredients

4 ounces             breakfast sausage       

1          cup      water  

7          tablespoons     unsalted butter, softened        

1          teaspoon          Morton kosher salt     

1 1/4    cups     all-purpose flour, sifted         

5                      eggs    

3 1/2    ounces             Gruyere cheese, grated

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.           

2. Cook the sausage in a small skillet breaking it up into small pieces. Drain off any fat and spread the sausage out on a paper towel to cool. Set aside.                       

3. Bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and add all of the flour to the liquid. Vigorously stir the mixture until it forms a congealed dough and a light film appears on the bottom and sides of the saucepan.                      

4. Transfer the dough ball to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.               

5. Beat one egg into the dough at medium-low speed until fully incorporated. Repeat with each of three more of the eggs.             

6. Add the sausage and the cheese and beat on low speed until incorporated.             

7. Scoop the flavored dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet or half sheet pan using a two-inch ice cream scoop spacing them one inch apart.                       

8. Whisk the remaining egg. Lightly brush the dough balls with the egg using a pastry brush.

9. Cook the gougères for 20 minutes. Turn the oven to 325 degrees and continue cook for an additional 20 minutes.   

10. Repeat steps 7 through 9 until all the dough has been used.
    

Notes For Sausage & Cheese Gougères       

• Gruyère is similar to cheddar but has a stronger, more refined character that rounds out the flavor of these sausage & cheese gougères. You can find it in the artisan cheese case at most grocery stores.

• The dough will break apart and look like a sloppy mess each time you add an egg. Don’t worry. Just continue to beat. The egg will fully incorporate, and the dough will come back together.