It’s that time of year again. When happy families gather with all their loved ones and maybe some not so loved ones, to celebrate the bounty life brings, or not.
So the most important question on everyone’s minds is making the stuffing for the turkey, right?
View attachment 8555007
It’s probably obvious to all that a good stuffing uses cubed toasted bread with spices, giblets and neck that have been steeped with celery, garlic and onion (the resulting broth used later in the preparation) then broken down to add to the mix. Celery, onion, garlic, poultry seasoning and other spices, all mixed with some additional chicken broth to the right consistency and stuffed into the cavities of the turkey while hot. Then also a large casserole pan of the same stuffing baked with it so that there’s enough.
Then, after Thanksgiving dinner, a later night huge sandwich with turkey, that same stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise on a heavy white bread for dessert.
I mean, is there another way?
Don't cook it in the bird. It makes cooking the bird properly and getting a safe temperature for the stuffing impossible. Stuffing needs to be at 160 degrees to be safe to eat. Getting the stuffing cooked perfectly and crisped at the end is easier.
You can try this one if you're looking for a different recipe. My wife never lets me experiment and she calls it
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it stuffing.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more
2 pounds of freshly made bread. Go to a bakery, get fresh bread, and dry it out for a day. Use ½ sourdough and ½ rye, or multi-grain bread. Slice the bread into 1-inch-thick slices and make ½ to ¾-inch cubed pieces.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2-pound spicy sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1/2-pound sweet sausage, casings removed and crumbled
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal or 1.5 teaspoons Morton kosher salt
One teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus more
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
3 large eggs, beaten
3 to 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
Recipe Preparation
Place racks in the middle and top of the oven; preheat to 300°. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake on the racks, tossing occasionally, until dried out (do not let brown more than just a bit around the edges), 25–35 minutes. Let cool and pour into a large pot.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook the sausage until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Break up into bite-size pieces with 2 spatulas or spoons and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer sausage to a plate. Make sure you get the oil as well.
Reduce heat to medium and melt one stick of butter in the same skillet. Add onion and celery; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but not browned, 12–15 minutes. Add the wine and red pepper flakes and scrape the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine has evaporated. Turn off the heat toss in parsley, sage, and thyme, and let the mixture cool in the skillet. Add this and the sausage to the bread when cool. Mix well.
Make up to this part the day before. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and put it into the fridge.
Next morning (T-Day)
Whisk eggs and 2 cups stock in a large bowl. Pour into bread, sausage, and veggie mixture and toss well to combine. Add 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Mix with hands well. Add remaining stock slowly until the correct consistency is reached. You will not need all of the stock. The stuffing should hold together but not be too wet. Let sit, toss occasionally, and put aside until later in the day.
Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish that has been coated with butter. Use a sheet of foil to cover the dish. Bake on the middle rack at 350 degrees until very hot throughout (it should feel too hot to comfortably touch in the center; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 160°), 35–40 minutes. Make sure it reaches 160 degrees.
Increase oven temperature to 425°. Remove the foil and transfer the baking dish to the top rack. Continue to bake the stuffing until it's golden brown, 25–30 minutes longer.
It's pretty good
