Sausage Stuffing
I really don’t like to waste food. It happens, of course, but I try really hard to be mindful and use up everything one way or another.
That leads me to get creative in the kitchen often times, which is certainly not a bad thing.
This is a great recipe for stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or any other day of the year when you're looking for something hearty that also gives you some nutrition. If you use a sourdough einkorn based bread, as well as bone broth instead of regular broth, this really transforms into a nutritious dish.
Use up stale bread in this delicious holiday recipe.
What you'll need:
I loaf of bread (I used a sourdough einkorn baguette that had gone stale.)
1 to 2 links sausage
About 10 chestnuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoons dried or fresh sage, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or bone broth
Sprinkle of parsley, dried or fresh
What to do:
If your bread is so stale you can't slice it, run it under water, then place it in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes.
Chop the bread into small chunks. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 225 degrees, so that it dries out. Alternatively, if you're more organized than me and plan ahead, you can leave it out overnight to dry.
2. Slice the sides of the chestnut shells. Place them in a pot covered with water and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the chestnuts from the pot and peel off the shell while their still hot, using gloves if you need to. Return to the pan, cover with the broth and cook for 20 minutes. Reserve the broth. Chop the chestnuts.
3. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, preferably a cast iron skillet, so that you can pop the whole pan into the oven when it's time. Add onions, celery, garlic, and sage; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add butter and broth reserved from the chestnuts, and cook, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove the casing from the sausage and saute the meat in a skillet until it is browned.
5. If you're using a cast iron pan, simply add the bread, chestnuts, and sausage to the pan, as well as more broth. Sprinkle with parsley. If you're using a pan that can't transfer to the over, just place all the ingredients in a baking dish.
6. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes, until the top is crisp and browned.
Buon appetito!
