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Mikey's Thanksgiving Stuffing | In Jennie's Kitchen

Mikey's Thanksgiving Stuffing

NOTE: If storing in the fridge overnight, you can put the cold pan directly into the oven, but be sure to use a metal pan NOT a glass casserole, or it’ll break due to the sudden temperature change in the oven.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 10 to 12

Ingredients
  

  • Olive oil
  • 1 pound .5 kilo ground pork breakfast sausage
  • 1 medium onion chopped fine
  • 2 celery ribs chopped fine
  • 2 carrots chopped fine
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup 60 ml white wine
  • 1 granny smith apple cored & diced
  • 1 cup roasted chestnuts chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ¾ cups 420 ml chicken stock
  • Few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme leaves only (discard stems)
  • ¼ teaspoon dried fennel seeds crushed
  • 5 cups 240 grams cubed bread (from one loaf of challah)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
  • Add a swirl of olive oil to a deep skillet. Heat over medium-high flame until shimmering. Add the ground sausage, and cook, stirring occasionally to break up any large pieces of meat, until browned all over. Spoon the sausage into a bowl, and set aside.
  • Reduce the flame to medium. Add another swirl of oil to the pan if it seems dry. Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until slightly softened, and onions are golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Pour in the wine, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits in the pan. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the apple and chestnuts. Stir in the lemon thyme and fennel. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until apple is slightly softened & fragrant. Remove from burner, and set aside while you pull the rest of the stuffing together.
  • Add the eggs and broth to a deep bowl. Beat lightly to mix.
  • Add the bread cubes, and the sausage, onions, celery, carrots, apples & chestnut mixture.
  • Stir until bread is fully coated, and liquid has been mostly absorbed.
  • Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch by 13-inch (22-cm by 33-cm) deep roasting pan. Spoon the stuffing into the pan, patting it down into place. Cover tightly with foil. At this point you can set in the fridge overnight before baking. It’ll give the bread time to absorb the flavors, but if pressed for time, you can go straight to the next step (see Note).
  • Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more, until the stuffing is deeply golden. Serve hot.