Focaccia Stuffing with Sausage and Mushrooms

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a very large heatproof bowl and set aside. Pour off any fat remaining in the pan and discard. Warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in the pan, then add the mushrooms and sauté until tender and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the bowl with the sausage.

In the same sauté pan, warm the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the onion, celery and salt and pepper to taste and  sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to the bowl with the sausage-mushroom mixture. Add the stuffing and stir until well combined. Stir in the stock 1/2 cup (125 ml) at a time, making sure it is completely absorbed into the croutons and does not pool in the bottom of the bowl. Taste a crouton; it should be moist throughout but not mushy. You may not need all of the stock.

Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with a buttered sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes more.

While the stuffing is cooking, make the fried sage: In a small fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until just shimmering. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the sage leaves to the pan and fry until slightly crisp, 5 to 10 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the leaves to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. Sprinkle the leaves lightly with salt.



Let the stuffing rest for 10 minutes, then garnish with the sage leaves and serve hot. Serves 10 to 12.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen