Pear, Chestnut and Sage Dressing
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Ingredients
- 1-lb. loaf rustic country bread, torn into   1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 lb. pork breakfast sausage, casings   removed
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 large carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 Bosc pear, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 cup peeled and chopped steamed or roasted   chestnuts
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh sage
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and let dry overnight.Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a large, shallow baking dish.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
In the same pan, melt the 1 Tbs. butter and add the onion, carrot, celery and pear. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the sausage. Add the chestnuts, parsley, sage, melted butter, stock, salt and pepper and stir to mix. Add the bread and stir to mix well.
Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until golden and crispy, about 1 hour. Serves 10 to 12.
Note: If desired, you can pack the dressing loosely in the body and neck cavities of the turkey. Secure the neck flap with kitchen string or pin it to the back with toothpicks or trussing pins. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time. For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
TurkeyDay from
Go-to Recipe for Years
No matter what we end up doing to the bird on any given Thankgsiving (brined, not brined, dry rubbed, roasted, smoked, spatchcocked, etc.), this is the stuffing recipe that I use each and every year. It goes without saying that homemade stock knocks this recipe out of the park. At any rate, this dish has come to define Thanksgiving for us, and the entire meal would seem off without it.
Date published: 2014-11-26