Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing from ‘The Food Lab’

This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.). The book is based on The Food Lab column López-Alt writes for Serious Eats.

Photograph by J. Kenji López-Alt

By J. Kenji López-Alt

Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing
Serves 10 to 12

2 ? pounds (about 2 loaves) high-quality sandwich bread or soft Italian or French bread, cut into ?-inch dice (about 5 quarts)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1? pounds sage sausage, removed from casings
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large stalks celery, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or grated on a Microplane (about 2 teaspoons)
? cup minced fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried sage)
4 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken or turkey stock
3 large eggs
? cup minced fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Adjust the oven racks to the lower- and upper-middle positions. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Spread the bread evenly on two rimmed baking sheets. Stagger the pans on the oven racks and bake, rotating the pans and stirring the bread cubes several times, until the bread is completely dried, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.

Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the foaming subsides (don’t allow the butter to brown), about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and mash with a stiff whisk or potato masher to break it up into fine pieces (the largest pieces should be no greater than ? inch), then cook, stirring frequently, until only a few bits of pink remain, about 8 minutes. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and sage and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add half of the stock.

Whisk the remaining stock, the eggs, and 3 tablespoons of the parsley in a medium bowl until homogeneous. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, slowly pour the egg mixture into the sausage mixture. Add the bread cubes and fold gently until evenly mixed.

Use part of the stuffing to stuff the bird if desired. Transfer the remaining stuffing to buttered 9- by 13-inch baking dish (or 10- by 14-inch oval dish). Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing reads 150°F, about 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of parsley and serve.

Reprinted with permission from The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.)

More Thanksgiving recipes:

Brussels Sprouts Latkes from My Name is Yeh

Brined and Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey from ‘Heartlandia’

Persimmon-Pumpkin Pie from Giada DeLaurentiis