Seriously scrumptious she says! Okay, I digress. But seriously, what would Thanksgiving be without stuffing? Technically I believe this is a ‘dressing’ versus a stuffing because it doesn’t actually go in the bird. My mother very much disagrees with today’s thinking that stuffing the bird is unsafe. I however prefer to air on the side of caution. Plus, baking in a dish provides more opportunity for crispy and crunchy bits, so I’d say it’s a win win. Make Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage and Sage for this Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any occasion in need of a hearty ad delicious side!
This is the perfect opportunity for you to use up some of that sourdough you’ve mastered (or not) this year. Methinks 2020 is the year of homemade bread. If you haven’t baked your own sourdough yet, you’ve probably gotten curious and at least found a good place to buy a loaf. Let’s put that knowledge to good use! I’ve purposefully crafted a smaller dish due to many of us who will likely gather in smaller numbers this year. This recipe only uses about half a loaf, so the’ll be plenty left for the table, or for breakfast the next morning.
The Background
So, where does my favorite Thanksgiving side come from? It seems that some form of stuffing may date all the way back to 2000 B.C. in an area known as present day Iraq. In the United States stuffing, probably referred to as ‘dressing’ was made from stale cornbread or biscuits. This article elaborates and cites sausage was probably a common ingredient. In the deep south especially we cannot look past the fact that this dish as we know it today was likely shaped by slaves working in their master’s houses.
The Method
We’re going to layer our flavors together. The best dishes take their time in layering in flavors and I will show you how to do that here, stuffing style. After prepping three different varieties of allium, we’ll start by sautéing our sausage in a bit of olive oil. I recommend an Italian sweet sausage, generally this will be seasoned with fennel seeds which add a beautiful aroma to the stuffing. You could do a spicy sausage too for a little kick, or even a vegan sausage! Just add a bit of extra olive oil. Once the sausage is brown but not too dark, remove it, leaving behind the rendered fat.
To this fat we’ll add some butter and sauté our shallots and leeks for a minute before adding the celery, another aromatic. Season these vegetables with a pinch or two of salt and pepper now since we want to draw out the moisture and promote softening without too much caramelization. Drop in the thyme leaves first and a few minutes later add the sage and garlic together. Last, add in the golden raisins and about a half cup of stock and remove from heat. This will allow the raisins to plump up a little bit.
Mix together the remaining stock and the egg, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Add your torn pieces of dry sourdough to a large bowl along with the sausage and any of their juices. Add the vegetable and aromatic mix next and toss together. Now add in the stock and egg mixture, mix well. Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes, mixing and tossing every few minutes or so. The bread pieces should absorb all of the liquid and become somewhat spongy. Add more stock if needed to fully hydrate the mix without making it too soggy, no liquid should pool in the bottom. Don’t be afraid to really mix it up, we want the bread to fall apart a little bit.
Place the stuffing mixture in a 9×9 pan or similar, dot the top with the remaining butter. Bake covered for the first 25 minutes, I used foil as a cover. Remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes or so. It’s done when the top is brown and crispy.
The Bottom Line
Be aware, this recipe contains golden raisins, sometimes a vehicle for controversy. I’ve added them in for good reason, I like a bit of sweetness to counteract the savory, sour and herby flavors going on in the rest of the stuffing. Especially if you plan on eating this with a nicely salted gravy, those raising are the ticket. If you decide to omit them, that is of course your choice. Whatever you do, try Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage and Sage soon, perhaps with your Thanksgiving dinner. It would go well with this Turkey, oh and this Gravy. Let me know if you make it, drop me a comment below or find me on IG!
Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage and Sage
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 lb sausage, removed from casings about 2 links
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 leek, white and light green parts sliced see note #1
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves removed
- 2 sprigs sage, leaves removed and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 1/2 cups stock, plus more if needed chicken, turkey or vegetable
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 lb sourdough bread, torn into 1 inch pieces dry, see note #2
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a medium frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage, break up and sauté until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from pan, leaving behind rendered fat.
- Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan. Sauté shallots and leeks for 1-2 minutes before adding the celery. Season with salt and pepper and thyme leaves. Add sage leaves and garlic once aromatics are soft, sauté for a minute more.
- Add golden raisins, plus 1/2 cup of stock. Remove from heat and let sit. Mix together eggs and stock.
- In a large bowl, toss together bread pieces and sausage then add in the aromatic mix of vegetables. Mix in egg and stock mixture and let sit for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. Add additional stock if needed.
- Place in a 9×9 baking dish or similar, dot the top with remaining butter, cut into pieces. Bake covered for 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake until crispy on top, about 20 minutes more.
WOW, CHRISTINA – EVERYTHING sounds SCRUMPTIOUS! Very UNIQUE & CLASSY twist over the ‘usual’ Thanksgiving dinner! BRAVO, well done! 👏👏👏🏆❤️😊