Sausage and Apple Stuffing

One of the things I miss about hosting Thanksgiving is the leftovers.  The other thing is that where I go has a different menu than what I grew up with.  Sure, I had turkey, but everything else was not what I'm used to.  They don't even like cranberry sauce.

So that weekend, I made all the sides I didn't have over there and Grandma Sophie's pumpkin chiffon pie.  I didn't even make a turkey or other poultry.  Just the sides.  Green bean casserole, sweet potatoes without marshmallows, and a hearty stuffing that doubled as my main dish.  I'm not a stuffing person when it's that soggy mess.  It has to have some kind of texture, more like a proper casserole.

I also call it "stuffing", even though I won't stuff meat with such a dense filling for safety reasons.  "Dressing" is just a weird word to use on a casserole. But I guess "bread casserole" is also a weird name, and "bread pudding" isn't the same thing.  We're just going to go with stuffing for now.

4 C cubed bread of choice (I used rye)
8 oz bulk sausage of choice (basic breakfast pork for me)
*1/2 C diced onion
*1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
*1 Granny Smith apple, diced (peeling optional)
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 C vegetable or chicken broth

1.  Lay out the cubed bread on a baking sheet for about 24 hours, until stale.

2.  In a large skillet, brown the sausage into crumbles over medium heat.  I like a lot of brown crispies on mine, but as long as you get it thoroughly cooked, it's fine.  Add in the onion and apple and cook until tender, about 5 more minutes.  If you left the skin on the apple, you can see it change color when it's starting to cook.

3.  In a large bowl, combine sausage mixture with bread, parsley, celery, sage, and rosemary.  Taste a bit of the sausage and decide if you want to add salt and pepper.  Stir in broth.  Yes, it won't seem like enough.  This is a much drier stuffing, and the celery and apple have not given off their moisture yet.  Set aside to rest, stirring every couple of minutes.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º and butter an 8x8 casserole, or round or oval of similar size.  By the time the oven is up to temp, the stuffing should have absorbed the broth.  Give it one more good stir, then pour into the casserole.

5.  Bake about 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the vegetables appear cooked.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating :)