A perfect alternative for Thanksgiving!
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cortland or empire apples, diced
¾ lb pork sausage, sweet
4 cups whole milk
1 lb brioche, sandwich loaf bread or cornbread cubed into 1” cubes, dried overnight
15 oz chestnuts, shucked and chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh or dried marjoram
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x13” casserole dish or muffin tins.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and apples, sauté, stirring occasionally until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the veggies and apples to a bowl.
2. In the same pan, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the bowl with the onion mixture.
3. While sausage cooks in the onion pan, in a separate large bowl, toss the bread cubes with milk until well blended. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the milk is absorbed and the bread is evenly moistened about 7 minutes. Add the onion-meat mixture, chestnuts, parsley, marjoram, thyme and cooked sausage to the bowl with the bread. Season with salt and pepper and stir together. Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish or muffin tins and bake until browned and crispy, at least an hour in the casserole or 20-30 minutes in the muffin tins.
Yield: 12-16 Servings