Better named, Grandpa Frank's Thanksgiving Stuffing, this might just be my favorite part of our Thanksgiving meal. This is not the typical sage stuffing, this has beef, sausage, mushrooms and just the perfect balance of sage.
Make this a side dish or a meal, or just part of a great sandwich, this is the stuffing that you want to make this year.
And, I'm not kidding, we use this in turkey, potato & dressing sandwiches, stuffed pork chops, wonton appetizers... and the list goes on. Don't just make this one time a year.
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter (divided)
2 cups chopped celery, stalks & leaves
2 cup onions, minced
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms (8oz makes 3 cups)
6 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups dry bread cubes (ripped up bread)
1 cup chicken bullion
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 lb pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 cup white wine
Directions:
Dry the bread for 1 hour at 250, let cool.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Note - Add salt at the end, not throughout the cooking process.
Melt 2 tbs butter in a large dutch oven. Add the sausage & beef. Cook until cooked through, 7-10 minutes. Remove but leave the fat.
Adjust heat to medium-low then add the celery, onion and mushroom. Add butter if needed to coat, but only if it's too dry. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. (Cooking at a lower temp for a longer time brings more flavor out of the onions). With a few min left, add the garlic for 1 min. Return the sausage & beef mixture.
Combine with the remaining ingredients and 3/4 of the bread in a large bowl. Add the remaining bread little by little until you get the right consistency.
It should be wet, but not too wet. If additional liquid is needed, add a 1/4 cup of white wine.
Taste and add additional sage & poultry seasoning to taste.
Coat a 9x13 baking pan with butter then add the stuffing mixture. Add the remaining 6tbs of butter in small pieces on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the top is crispy.
Notes:
A good bread is sour dough. Let sit out for a day or two to dry, then rip into 1 in chucks, roughly.
Can also rip into chunks then put in 350° oven for 10 minutes.
Possible changes:
*Start with 1 stick of butter and add 1/2 cup of red wine to the sauté mixture.
Swap the ground beef with veal.
Replace the 1/2 stick of butter used to top the stuffing with a 1/2 stick of brown butter.
*Add some of the sage and poultry seasoning to the onion, celery & mushrooms while sauteing.
Add a little garlic to the sauté mixture.
Add an egg or 2 to the chicken stock (this acts as a binder)
*Use fresh sage instead of dried.
Add fresh rosemary & thyme
*Cook the sausage first, remove then cook the veggies in the sausage grease. Add butter to coat veggies.