Roasted chestnut sausage dressing built on sweet Italian sausage, a carrot, celery and sage pulp, cubed sourdough and a pound of roasted chestnuts. Stock, cream and an egg bind it together. It bakes in forty five minutes and feeds eleven at Christmas dinner or Thanksgiving.
Dry the sourdough before it goes in, overnight on a tray or ten minutes in a low oven. Fresh bread collapses under a cup and a half of liquid and the dressing sets as paste rather than something you can spoon.
The ingredient list says five cups of cubed sourdough, then the method says add the bread crumbs. Those are two different dishes, and cubes are the one you want, because crumbs turn the whole tray into mush.
Roasted Chestnut Sausage Dressing
Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalSausage browned hard, then a carrot, celery and sage pulp cooked dry in the same pan. Folded through sourdough and chestnuts with a stock and cream custard, baked until the top goes gold.
Ingredients
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1/2 bunch fresh sage
1 1/2 pounds loose sweet Italian sausage
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups cubed sourdough bread, crusts removed, dried
1 pound roasted peeled chestnuts, halved
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg
Directions
- Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 375F and butter a 9 by 11 inch baking dish, or a 9 by 13 if that is what you have.
- Make the vegetable pulp: Puree the carrot, onion, celery and sage in a food processor until you have a fine pulp.
- Brown the sausage: Brown the sausage in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, about 5 minutes, until well browned and the fat has rendered. Lift it out with a slotted spoon into a large bowl.
- Cook the pulp and combine: Add the vegetable pulp to the same pan and cook until most of the moisture has gone, then season and tip it into the bowl. Add the dried sourdough and the chestnuts.
- Bind and bake: Whisk the stock, cream and egg together, pour over the mixture, season and fold everything through. Spread it into the dish and bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden on top, tenting with foil if it browns early.
FAQs
What size dish do I need?
The recipe calls for 9 by 11, which is a size most kitchens do not own. A standard 9 by 13 works and gives you a thinner layer with more browned top. Check it at twenty five minutes in the bigger dish, since it sets faster.
Do I need to peel and chop the chestnuts?
Buy them already roasted and peeled, because a pound in the shell only gives you about twelve ounces of nut. The recipe never says to chop them, so halve or quarter them yourself. Whole chestnuts in a spoonful of dressing are too much in one bite.
What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?
Dressing bakes in its own dish and stuffing bakes inside the bird, and that is the whole distinction. Baked separately it browns on top and cooks evenly, which is why most cooks have moved to dressing. It also means the turkey roasts faster.
Can I make it ahead?
Brown the sausage and cook the vegetable pulp a day early and keep them in the fridge. Hold the bread, chestnuts and the wet mix until the morning, because soaked bread sitting overnight goes heavy. Another dish that waits well is this spinach gratin.
What should I serve it with?
Roast turkey, and something wet, because dressing on its own is dry by design. A ladle of pan sauce over the top is what finishes it. This best gravy ever is made in the same roasting pan while the bird rests.
