My Personal Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

As many of you know, I'm a professional chef.  I created this recipe over the last decade.  I've carefully tested it, experimented with it, and refined it until it has reached its current form.

Feel free to make use of it yourself.  And if you do, tell me how it worked out for you.

Ingredients:

16 oz stuffing cubes

6 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan and topping

1 lb fresh sage sausage, casing removed

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cooking apples (I usually use Rome or Golden Delicious), peeled, cored, and chopped

1 to 2 ribs celery with leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted

2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F

2. Put the stuffing cubes in a large bowl and set aside.  Butter a 3-quart casserole dish.

3.  Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and break up.  Cook until it loses most of its pink color, but not so much that it's dry, about 5 minutes.  Add the sausage and pan drippings to the stuffing cubes.

4.  Melt the remaining butter in the pan.  Add the onion, apple, celery, and salt.  Cook until the vegetables get soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the broth and parsley and bring to a boil.

5.  Pour the vegetable mixture over the stuffing cubes and toss until evenly moistened.  Mix in the walnuts and eggs.  Loosely pack the dressing into the prepared pan and bake uncovered until the top forms a crust, about 40 minutes.

6.  Drizzle 2 tablespoons of turkey drippings or melted butter over the top.  Continue to bake until the top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes more.

7.  Allow stuffing to stand for 5 minutes before serving.