Sausage and Apple Herbed Stuffing

Still planning your Thanksgiving dinner menu? I've got what you need. This stuffing checks all the boxes: familiar, a tiny bit surprising, savory with just a hint of sweetness.

I think people fall into two camps when it comes to stuffing: you’re either a purist, or an adventurer. The purist wants a vehicle for turkey gravy and mashed potatoes. No fussy stuff, just the basics because it’s not the stuffing’s show. The adventurer is all about the change up. One year it might be fennel and sausage; the next it’s cranberry and toasted pecans. You might even find an oyster or two in there.

I would say I’m firmly in the adventurer’s camp. I am married to a purist. I love the tradition behind the dishes we make and serve during the holidays, and I love the nostalgia and history of the chopping, stirring and baking when so much love gets served up and passed around the table. But — there’s always a but — I love to try new things … to see if a dish we all enjoy can turn into something we absolutely love.

Two years ago I was charged with making the Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing for my husband’s extended family; I decided to experiment with a dressing recipe that would complement the rest of the dinner and yet wouldn’t take over the other flavors.

After a couple years of tweaking, I think it’s just about right. The stuffing is moist but not soggy, full of flavor with savory notes from the sausage and a hint of sweet from the cranberries. I like to cook my stuffing inside the bird for extra flavor and moisture, but you certainly don’t have to. If you bake it on its own, I would recommend adding extra chicken stock to keep the stuffing from drying out.

Sausage and Apple Herbed Stuffing

• 1 pound mild Italian sausage

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 4 stalks celery leaves included, diced

• 1 large apple, diced

• 10 cups stale French bread, cubed

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced

• 1/2 cup melted butter

• 2 eggs, whisked

• 1 cup craisins

• 1 32-ounce box organic chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Over medium-low heat, brown the Italian sausage in a large sauté pan, making sure to use a spatula to break up the meat into very small crumbles. Rub the fennel seeds between your hands before sprinkling over the sausage to release the aroma. Cook the sausage until brown and barely cooked through. Remove from heat and drain on a plate covered in a paper towel.

Using the same pan, sauté the apple, onion and celery in the leftover sausage drippings on medium heat. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onions is translucent and fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix the bread cubes, sausage and vegetable mixture together. Add the minced parsley and cranberries to the bowl. Stir and salt and pepper the stuffing. Whisk the eggs before pouring over the stuffing. Mix to combine.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Set aside briefly to cool. Pour the chicken stock over the stuffing along with the melted butter. Mix one more time to combine and then transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover the dish in tinfoil and bake for about 45 minutes in the oven and an additional15 minutes uncovered. Remove stuffing from the oven and serve immediately.