This dressing could easily be the star of Thanksgiving dinner, it’s that good! A delicious combination of flavors! Sausage, mushrooms, onions, apples and herbs! I think it’s best made the day before and we love that!
Ingredients:
Serves 8 – 10
• 1 1/2 loaves of textured, stale white bread (french or sourdough works nicely) cut the crust off, cut into 1 inch cubes, toast in a 300° oven in a single layer on a baking sheet for 7 minutes.
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 Tbs of kosher salt
• 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 8 oz of cremini or button mushrooms, chopped
• 3/4 lb of Italian sausage, casing removed
• 2 cups of chicken stock, divided use
• 3 Tbs of fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbs of parsley, chopped
Directions:
Place the bread cubes in a very large bowl. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, saute the onions, celery, apples and salt & pepper for about 8 minutes, until everything starts to soften. Add the garlic, saute 1 more minute, add the mushrooms and saute 3-4 more minutes, then add it the bowl with the bread cubes.
In the same skillet, over medium high heat, cook the sausage until nicely browned, break it up as you cook it and add to the bread and veggies along with 1 cup of chicken stock and the sage & parsley. Mix really well, hands work best! Add more chicken stock as needed to make everything hold together. If at anytime, the dressing seems dry, add more chicken stock, before and after baking.
Pour into a 9 x 12 baking dish. You can cover and refrigerate this over night and bake the next day. Preheat the oven to 375°, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes.
Note to cooks: Instead of toasting the bread cubes, you can let them sit out overnight uncovered.
