Sausage Stuffing
This is a holiday favorite that is sure to get raves. You can add or subtract vegetables + fruits based on what’s in season and your own preferences. This is a great recipe for experimenting, and it is scalable to fit the size of the crowd around your table.
- 1 pound of Grateful Growers sausage (use any flavor you wish. My favorite for this is the breakfast sausage, but it is equally great with italian or bratwurst. I haven’t tried it with chorizo yet.)
- 3-4 loaves of bread, sliced (use different kinds to make things interesting)
- 3-4 stalks of celery, cut in a small dice
- 4 carrots, small dice
- 1 whole onion, small dice
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 stick of butter, melted
- 5-6 cups of stock (chicken, turkey, pork, or veg)
- 1 cup of mushrooms, small dice
- 1 cup of peeled apples, small dice
- 1 cup of minced kale or collards
- herbs: sage, thyme, rosemary
- salt + pepper
Â
Preheat the oven to 375degrees. Crumble and brown the sausage on low-medium heat (covered). Remove the meat from the pan and sautee the vegetables + apples in the sausage drippings until soft. Toast the bread in the oven – don’t let it burn. Cut the cooled toast into 1/2 inch cubes and put them in a giant bowl or pan. In a big bowl, beat the eggs then add the cooked veg. Add half of the stock and the melted butter and mix it well. Blend in about 2 tsp. of each herb, about 1 tsp. salt and pepper. Pour the whole thing over the bread cubes and mix it all together. Your hands are the best tools for this. If the mixture is dry, add more stock or even warm water is okay. I like moist stuffing, so be generous with the liquid but keep in mind you are not making soup. A handful of stuffing should bind together but not drip when you squeeze it. If it’s too wet, add some more toast. Too dry, add more liquid. Grease a big baking pan with lard (which you should have), butter,  or vegetable shortening (which - ick - you may have to resort to).  Bake covered for 45 minutes, then test. The center of the stuffing should be hot and begin binding together firmly. Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes or so, until the top is browned and begins to get crunchy. Enjoy!