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Country Sausage and Sage Dressing

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Country Sausage and Sage Dressing

This recipe is intended as a baked dressing to accompany the Thanksgiving turkey . It can be used as stuffing (a practice I do not recommend for turkey), if you desire. It also makes a good stuffing for capon or pork.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 10 to 12 as a side dish

Ingredients

2

baguettes (long French bread), stale, cut into 1-inch cubes

1

tablespoon vegetable oil

1

pound Country Sausages, preferably homemade

1

large onion, cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice (2 cups)

5

stalks celery, peeled, split lengthwise and cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice

2

medium apples, peeled, cored and cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice

15

sprigs Italian parsley, leaves picked and very coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)

6 to 8

branches fresh sage, leaves picked and coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)

4

eggs

2

cups turkey or chicken stock

1

teaspoon salt

1

teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6

tablespoons unsalted butter

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    1. The bread should be completely stale. If not, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and put in a low oven (250 degrees) for about 1 hour to dry them out. (I think this light toasting gives the dressing a better flavor.)

    Step 2

    2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown it, breaking up meat into pieces about the size of a quarter. This need not be precise. Transfer meat from skillet to large bowl, using a slotted spoon. Add onion and celery to the skillet. After 1 minute, add the apples and cook 2 more minutes. Place in bowl with sausage.

    Step 3

    3. Add bread cubes, parsley and sage to the bowl.

    Step 4

    4. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and stock with the salt and pepper. Pour this over the sausage mixture and gently toss all the ingredients. They should combine without mushing.

    Step 5

    5. Generously butter a 16-inch baking pan (2 tablespoons). Spread the mixture in the pan and dot with more butter (4 tablespoons).

    Step 6

    6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should have a nice golden brown crust.

Jasper White's Cooking from New England by Jasper White Biscuit Books