Go Stuff Yerself!

Keeping with the Thanksgiving themed post from yesterday, I'll shift to what I believe is the most underrated part of Thanksgiving dinner: stuffing.  Now, I'm not going to undertake the argument of the finer differences between stuffing and dressing; go argue with your grandma.  The following recipe can be cooked either way.  It's delicious both ways, but it's certainly easier to just bake it in separate pans.  My dad and I have experimented with similar recipes over the past several years.  I have no idea where he got his original recipe from.  The following recipe for Sausage and Apple Stuffing is this year's version:

Ingredients: 

·         1 loaf sourdough hearth bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 11 cups)

·         1 tablespoon canola oil

·         3/4 pound fresh mild pork or chicken sausage

·         4 Braeburn, Gala or other apples, cored and diced

·         3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

·         1 large onion, diced

·         2 tablespoons unsalted butter

·         2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

·         1/3 cup chopped fresh sage leaves

·         3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method: 

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread cubes out on two baking sheets and bake until dried but not browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up chunks with a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add apples, celery, onion and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple and vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes more. Add to the bread. Stir in broth, sage, salt and pepper.

If using to stuff a turkey, cool completely before stuffing. If baking separately, heat oven to 350°F; bake in a buttered casserole dish until lightly browned and crisp on top, 50 to 60 minutes.

This year we doubled the recipe (almost tripled the sausage, though) and found out that it freezes decently.