Beef Ball

     I first tasted a recipe similar to this one at a shower given for a girl I worked with in the Albany Office of the N.Y. Telephone Co in the fall of 1958 and have made it many times since then with many changes. One change was to add vegetables and another was to add shrimp and cocktail sauce.  So you can pretty much do whatever you like.  My last change was to make mini beef balls.  

Yield: 4 servings

Revised Monday May 26, 2008

• 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 small red onion, minced
• ¼ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon my house seasoning
• 1½ teaspoons Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 cup dried beef, finely minced

1.  With a fork, work cheese and butter until blended and smooth.

2.  Stir in juice, house seasoning and Worchestershire sauce until well blended.

3.  Shape into a dome on a shallow serving plate.

4.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

5.  Before serving, uncover and sprinkle the dome with the minced beef, pressing to adhere the beef to the dome, while being careful to maintain the dome shape.

6.  Serve with crackers and/or melba toast surrounding the beef ball.