Friends, family, people I meet on the street are always asking me, “what’s your favorite thing to cook?” And my truthful response is Thanksgiving dressing (yes, I call this dressing because stuffing suggests that it’s getting stuffed into a turkey). Why? To start, the smell of onions, celery and apples sautéeing in butter in my kitchen is heaven on Earth. I love the possibility of all the flavor combinations you can make. I sometimes add bacon or sausage, fresh sage or rosemary and sometimes both! Add day old baguette cubes or cornbread and top it with lots of sweet butter and voila – my favorite dish to cook!
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.
Sausage and Cornbread Dressing
serves 8
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
2 large onions, diced
3 large celery stalks, diced
2 apples, cored and diced
Kosher salt
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
½ cup apple cider
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Cast-Iron Skillet Cornbread, or 1 (9- or 10-inch) cornbread, cut in 1½-inch cubes
1 large egg, beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Simple Turkey Stock, or low-sodium turkey broth
Place corn bread cubes on a baking sheet and leave out overnight to dry. Or, toast the cubes in a 350º F degree oven for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375º F. Generously butter a 9 X 13-inch or 3-quart baking dish.
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large, 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, apples and 2 large pinches of salt and sauté until softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Add the cider, cranberries, rosemary and sage and cook until the cranberries soften, about 5 minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool. Once cool add beaten egg and season with 1 teaspoon 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. Some of the cornbread cubes may break apart while others stay intact. It’s a matter of preference – this dressing is delicious with both big cubes or smashed bits of cornbread! Transfer dressing into prepared baking dish and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until dressing is heated through and beginning to turn golden.
This sausage and cornbread dressing is the perfect stuffing for a festive Turkey Roulade.