Sage Dressing or Stuffing

Sage Dressing (or Stuffing)

A cold November day, a warm kitchen with steamy windows and in the background, the Macy's parade on t.v. A skillet full of onion, celery, poultry seasoning and sage cooking in butter... smells like Thanksgiving to me!

I love dressing..or stuffing. I grew up calling it dressing but now I will sometimes call it stuffing. Either way...it's delicious and dressing/stuffing, along with cranberry relish, must be on my plate!  It’s my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. I have become the dressing/stuffing maker in our family and I love to make it…..and eat it! I have never stuffed dressing in a turkey and I don't plan to start. I need a crispy top!

I start with a good heavy loaf of country or sour dough bread. 

I cut or tear enough to fill two large cookie sheets. If I have any bread left , it makes good grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Toast bread cubes in a 350 oven until golden and crispy. Check every 10 minutes.

My husband cuts up the celery and onions- about half a bunch of celery and one onion. Sometimes I add a finely chopped apple.

I sauté the veggies in a skillet with 1 1/2 to 2 sticks of unsalted butter.  I add poultry seasoning along with black pepper. 

My husband picks sage from the garden. He chops that and it goes in the pan too. The veggies don't need to be totally cooked because they will cook more in the oven.

I then use a large bowl to mix the toasted bread, softened  onion and celery. I add turkey stock or chicken stock. I make my own about a week ahead of time using either turkey parts like the wings, back and neck or chicken parts. I freeze it and then thaw the day before. Turkey stock is richer and the house smells so good when it’s simmering.

I make about 2 quarts just to make sure I have enough, plus extra stock is good for gravy. Add enough stock to make the bread moist.

After adding the stock, I taste to see if it has enough seasoning and salt, then stir in a couple of beaten eggs.

Sometimes I make cornbread the night before and add that too. My husband prefers no cornbread.

I pour the mixture into one or two greased casseroles and bake it until the top is crunchy, about 45 minutes at 375.

I also enjoy dressing in muffin tins because they get so crispy and they are cute, individual servings.