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Thanksgiving: Fresh Bread Dressing

Source of Recipe

From "Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well" by Sam Sifton


Recipe Introduction

"It is dressing because it is cooked outside of the bird. Placed within the cavity of a bird, it becomes stuffing. This recipe is appropriate almost year-round as an accompaniment to roast chicken or pork chops."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced
â—¦ 2 stalks celery, cleaned and diced
â—¦ 2 apples, preferably tart (like Granny Smith or Cortland), peeled, cored, and diced
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves, rolled together and sliced thin
â—¦ 2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
â—¦ 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
â—¦ 1 loaf French or Italian bread, torn into small pieces
â—¦ ½ cup to 1 cup turkey stock or chicken stock (if using store-bought, use low-sodium variety)
â—¦ 1 egg, beaten
â—¦ ½ cup chopped parsley


Recipe

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, celery, apples, salt, pepper, sage, thyme, and hot pepper sauce. Cook, stirring until vegetables have softened and herbs wilted, approximately 5 minutes.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add the bread, beaten egg, parsley, and enough stock to make the dressing moist but not wet. Blend well and check for seasoning.

Grease a medium-sized baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and put dressing in it. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the top is beginning to brown. Check to make sure interior is moist. If not, add some more stock and return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes longer.