Make-Ahead Sausage Stuffing
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- One stale 1 1/2-pound loaf bread, sliced, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
- 2 cups homemade turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into bite-sized pieces, until it is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the sausage with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
- Melt 5 tablespoons of the remaining butter in the skillet.
- Add the onions, celery, sage, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and celery are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Add the mixture to the bowl with the sausage; add the bread cubes, and toss to coat.
- Let the bread-sausage mixture cool to room temperature.
- Transfer it to a resealable plastic bag, label and date, and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
- To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- Heat the stock and 4 tablespoons of the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter melts.
- Whisk the eggs and parsley together in a large bowl.
- Break the frozen stuffing with your hands into smaller chunks, add to the bowl and toss.
- Add the stock-butter mixture, and toss to combine.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and dot with the 2 remaining tablespoons butter.
- Cover tightly with foil, and bake until the stuffing is hot, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- Uncover and continue to bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes more.
- Serve warm.
butter, sausage, onion, celery stalks, sage, thyme, kosher salt, bread, turkey, eggs, parsley
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/make-ahead-sausage-stuffing.html (may not work)