Dressing (I call this dressing because stuffing suggests that it’s getting stuffed into a turkey) is hands-down my absolute favorite thing to make. The unmistakable, classic smell of apples, onions, celery and herbs in a butter-filled skillet signals the holidays have arrived. Don’t worry about the quantities of the chopped fruit and vegetables being exact. Dressing is very forgiving so use my measurements as a guideline.
While homemade turkey stock is best, you can substitute with low-sodium canned turkey or chicken broth. Use caution when adding salt to the dressing if you’ve got canned broth as it’s generally very salty. Swap in vegetable stock or water for a vegetarian dressing.
To make ahead, cover assembled dressing with buttered foil and refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 1 day before. You’ll likely need to increase the cooking time by 5 to 10 minutes when baking it straight from the refrigerator. I bake my dressing while the turkey rests.
Apple and Herb Dressing
serves 8
Ingredients
10 cups 1-inch bread cubes from 1 large baguette (about 18 inches long)
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided, plus more for dish
2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 3 cups)
3 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 apples (I used Macoun), chopped (about 2 1/2 cups)
Kosher salt
1 cup sparkling or dry white wine
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup Simple Turkey Stock, or low-sodium turkey broth
Place bread cubes on a baking sheet and leave out over night to dry. Or, toast the cubes in a 350 F degree oven for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Generously butter a 9 X 13-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
Heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a large 12-inch skillet. Sauté onions, celery and apples with 2 large pinches of salt until softened, stirring occasionally, about 13 to 15 minutes. Add the thyme, rosemary and wine and turn the heat to high. Cook wine until has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and toss with toasted bread cubes. Once mixture is cool add beaten egg and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Add 1/2 cup Simple Turkey Stock or broth and mix well. You don’t want your dressing to be sopping wet but if it seems dry add up to another 1/2 cup Simple Turkey Stock. Transfer dressing into prepared baking dish and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until dressing is heated through and beginning to turn golden.