Sausage Stuffed Fried Olives

These sausage stuffed fried olives are such a fun appetizer to serve up over the holiday season. Easily prep them ahead to save time and serve as is or with your favourite dipping sauce.

Instructions

1. 1

   Slice a slit on one side of the olives so it’s open halfway. Set aside.

2. 2

   In a small bowl, mix together the sausage and half of the pecorino.

3. 3

   Using about ½ tsp of the sausage mixture, stuff each olive, pressing gently on the olive to seal. Some sausage may come out of the olive, that’s fine.

4. 4

   Set up the breading station. Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in its own bowl. Season the flour with a pinch of salt.

5. 5

   Working with a few olives at a time, roll into the flour, followed by the egg. Let excess drip off and then roll in the breadcrumbs. Set aside.

6. 6

   Pour the oil into a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan or pot and heat over medium. Once the oil reaches a temperature of 350ºF, the olives are ready to be fried.

7. 7

   Working in batches, add about five to six olives at a time to the oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, moving them around as needed. This should take about six to seven minutes for each batch.

8. 8

   Remove the olives with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

9. 9

   When ready to serve, garnish with lemon zest and remaining pecorino. Enjoy!

10. 10

    Note: Gluten-free: use gluten-free all purpose flour and breadcrumbs.