Savory Stuffing with Sausage and Herbs

This Thanksgiving side stays in the classic stuffing lane but shifts the flavor profile away from a standard onion-heavy version by using leeks and apple with the pork sausage. The bread bakes up moist in the middle, while the top turns browned and craggy from the buttered finish.

By Julienne

Cook time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 450 g day-old bread cubes cut into 2 cm cubes
• 14 g unsalted butter divided
• 340 g pork sausage casings removed if needed
• 42 g unsalted butter divided
• 180 g leek white and light green parts only, thinly sliced and well rinsed
• 120 g celery small dice
• 160 g firm apple peeled if desired, cored, and diced
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper divided
• 9 g garlic minced
• 6 g fresh sage chopped
• 4 g fresh thyme leaves stripped from stems
• 15 g fresh parsley chopped
• 2 count large eggs lightly beaten
• 420 ml chicken stock warm
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper divided
• 15 ml neutral oil for greasing the baking dish

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 190°C. Spread the bread cubes on a sheet pan and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once, until dry and lightly crisp at the edges. The bread feels dry and lightly golden, not soft or pale.
2. While the bread toasts, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 14 g of the butter and the pork sausage. Cook, breaking it up, for 6 to 8 minutes until browned and cooked through. Transfer the sausage to the mixing bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. The sausage has no pink remaining and browned bits are visible in the pan.
3. Add the remaining 42 g butter to the skillet. Add the leek, celery, apple, 3 g of the salt, and 1 g of the black pepper. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic, sage, and thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. The vegetables are softened and glossy, with a lightly sweet aroma from the apple.
4. Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the sausage. Add the toasted bread, parsley, beaten eggs, warm stock, and the remaining 3 g salt and 1 g black pepper. Fold gently until the bread is evenly moistened but not crushed. The mixture is evenly damp, with no dry bread pockets and no pooling liquid at the bottom.
5. Lightly grease the baking dish with the neutral oil. Transfer in the stuffing and spread it into an even layer without packing it down hard. The stuffing is level in the dish and lightly coated so it will release cleanly.
6. Bake uncovered for 28 to 32 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and crisp at the edges and the center is hot. Rest for 10 minutes before serving so it sets. The top is browned and crisp, and the center is hot and set rather than wet.