6 ounces pecans
1/2 pound country style white bread
1/2 batch Sage Cornbread
1 pound yellow onions
1/2 pound celery, washed
1/2 pound ground sausage
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 Tbl loosely packed fresh sage leaves
3 large eggs
6 ounces (1/2 can) evaporated milk
4 ounces (1/2 cup) chicken or turkey stock
1 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly toast the pecans; about 8 minutes. Dump them into the bowl, then roughly tear the bread (a few slices at a time) into 1” pieces. Break the cornbread into eight big chunks and add them too; the pieces will crumble into smaller bits when you stir in the other ingredients.
Cut the onions in half through the root end, peel, and chop into 1/2” chunks. Next, trim the ends off each celery stalk and slice into 1/4” pieces. Set the vegetables aside for now.
Put the sausage into a 12” skillet over medium heat, and break into pieces with a fork. Cook until the sausage crumbles have browned on both sides, though the larger chunks may not be cooked through. The sausage will finish cooking as the stuffing bakes. Transfer the browned sausage to the bowl of bread, but leave the drippings in the skillet.
Toss the onions and celery into the pan with the drippings and place over medium-low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits of sausage left on the bottom of the pan. Sauté until the onions are translucent, but not brown; about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables to the bread.
Return the skillet to the stove, reduce the heat to low, and add the butter. While it melts, chop the sage as finely as you can. Add it to the melted butter and increase the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often if not constantly, until the butter starts to bubble and foam. Pour the foamy sage butter over the bread.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until uniform. Add the evaporated milk, stock, salt and pepper; whisk to combine. Pour over the bread, and fold with a flexible spatula until evenly coated.
Spread the stuffing into a greased 9” by 13” glass dish. Cover the stuffing with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed; up to a week. Alternately, cover with foil and freeze up to six months.
Thaw the frozen stuffing overnight in the fridge before baking. Set the refrigerated stuffing out at room temperature while the oven preheats to 375°. Bake, uncovered, until the stuffing has browned on top and looks moist, but not gooey or wet inside, about 30 minutes. If you plan to bake the stuffing as soon as you’ve made it, shave about 5 minutes off the clock as it will bake faster.
Comments