Stuffing

• Serves: 8
• Time required: 75 mins
• Origin: adapted from Jess's Mom, Virginia and Basics with Babish

Ingredients

Sage Sausage

• 250g pork mince
• 250g beef mince
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp fresh or dried sage, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Remaining ingredients

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 2 celert ribs, finely diced
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp fresh or dried sage
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups turkey or chicken broth
• 1 large loaf of high-quality rustic sourdough bread, sliced and cubed into 1cm cubes, left out overnight to stale or artificially staled in a very low temperature oven as long as needed until crispy and dry, about 1.5 hours at around 100°C or as low as your oven will go
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 6 tbsp butter, divided

Method

1. Add the pork (250g) and beef (250g) to a large dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the onion powder (1/2 tsp), garlic powder (1/2 tsp), sage (1 tbsp), salt (1 tsp), and pepper (1 tsp). Fry and break up into small pieces until browned.
2. Remove the sausage and set aside, leaving any rendered fat behind in the pan. Add butter (2 tbsp). Add the diced onion (1), carrot (2), and celery (2). Cook for 6 minutes.
3. Add thyme (1 tbsp), sage (2 tbsp), and garlic (1 clove). Deglaze pot with some of the turkey stock (4 cups). Add the sausage back to the pan. Add the dried bread and and remaining stock in quarters, alternating between them. You may not need to add all the stock. Aim for the right consistency after you've added all the bread.
4. Mix in parmesan cheese (1/2 cup) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool. Once cooled, add egg (1).
5. Either keep it in the dutch oven, or transfer to another oven-safe dish. Add paps of butter (4 tbsp) on top of the stuffing. Bake at 200°C for 30 minutes or until crisp.