How to Make Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing?

Answer 1

If there's one signature side dish of the holidays, it's stuffing. You'd think a dish made with cubed bread, minced veggies, butter and some sausage (or giblets) would be easy to prepare, but that's not necessarily true. Stuffing can be tricky. The bread is mild, almost bland, so adding the right spices and aromatics (vegetable ingredients) is important. Keeping the entire dish moist can be a challenge too, especially if you're not cooking the stuffing in the bird.

Did you realize there are actually four classic herbs typically added to stuffing? They're often sold collectively as poultry seasoning, but you can easily combine them yourself or opt to use fresh herbs from your garden or from the produce aisle of your market. Here are the herbs you should look for: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Yes, the classic song has got it right -- not necessarily for a love potion, but for the perfect stuffing.

The recipe below is flavorful, moist and rich with butter. Make plenty. This recipe tastes even better after a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients

• Two loaves white sandwich bread, crusts removed
• 1 stick butter
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine (2-1/2 cups)
• 1tablespoon dried sage (or 2 tablespoons fresh minced sage leaves)
• 5 stalks celery, finely chopped (2 cups)
• 4 cups chicken or turkey broth (You can make this at home using the turkey neck and giblets.)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup minced, fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary (1-1/2 teaspoons fresh)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Dice bread into 3/4-inch cubes and place on single layers on cookie sheets. Dry the cubes in a 250 degree F oven. Turn the cookie sheets at least once during drying. The process should take about an hour. Cool completely.
2. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage until lightly browned.
3. Add butter.
4. Add onion, sage and celery and cook until vegetables soften (about 5 minutes).
5. Remove sausage mixture from the heat and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
6. Add bread cubes to the sausage and stir to incorporate.
7. In a separate bowl, whisk broth, eggs, parsley, thyme and rosemary together.
8. Add the egg mixture to the bread and sausage, stirring constantly. Blend the wet ingredients very well.
9. Bake the stuffing in a heavy, covered pan or Dutch oven at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes. You can also cook the stuffing inside the bird.

Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing Tips and Tricks

If you opt to cook this stuffing inside your turkey, goose or chicken, make sure the interior cavity reads at least165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer before serving time.

After the meal, don't pitch the decorative parsley, chop and freeze it in an ice cube tray. You can use the parsley "cubes" in soups and sauces after the holiday.