Pork Potstickers

God bless my husband, Allen; he is such a good man.  He is kind and gentle, patient to a fault, and super handy around the house.  He puts up with me and almost never complains about anything, which is a lot more than I can say about myself!  He will also eat just about anything I serve him, like it or not, and rarely asks for anything special.  When he does make a request I try my best to honor it, even if it's something I don't like myself, just because he deserves it.

The other day, out of the blue, he suggested potstickers for dinner.  I don't know why because he's never mentioned them before or even ordered them at a restaurant, but he sent me a link to an Alton Brown recipe and everything, so I knew he really meant it.  I was a little bummed, because the one and only time I ever had potstickers, I was unimpressed; they were gummy and flavorless.  But I love my husband, so pot stickers went on the menu and I spent a good hour assembling and cooking them tonight.  I am so glad I did!  These pot stickers were chewy and delicious, with loads of flavor in each little pocket.  They did take a long time to make, but luckily I had my sous chef helping me.  Unfortunately, she ended up disliking them, but Allen and I thought they were fabulous and had a hard time stopping ourselves from eating "just one more!"

Pork Potstickers

Prep time: 30 min  Cook time: 30 min
Makes 40 potstickers

1/2 lb pork sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 Tbs finely chopped red bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
40 small wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except wrappers in a medium-size mixing bowl.

To form the dumplings, remove several wonton wrappers from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of each wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 pot-stickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Approximately 40 calories per potsticker.