Thanksgiving is a time to gather around the table and indulge in the comforting flavors of the season. One dish that will add a delightful twist to your Thanksgiving dinner is Sage, Sausage and Apple Dressing. This savory and aromatic dressing is the perfect blend of the richness of sausage, the earthiness of sage and the sweetness of apples. Let's walk-through the simple steps of this easy recipe to create a delectable dressing that will undoubtably become a new holiday tradition.
To Stuff or Not to Stuff
When it comes to making stuffing or dressing to accompany a turkey, there are two kinds of people in this world: stuffers and non-stuffers. The camp that you fall into probably has roots in your childhood. My mother would stuff the neck cavity of a turkey and carefully sew it shut. She would also make a pocket between the breast and the skin and load it up with stuffing as well. The one thing she never did was put stuffing inside the main cavity. She considered that area to be "grotesque" and suitable only for some quartered onion and maybe a cut up apple and a sprig of rosemary.
When I started to cook turkey in my house, I decided to forego stuffing between the skin and breast because it altered the cooking time and made the turkey look like it had breast implants. I did stuff the neck cavity for many years until I noticed that none of my kids would eat that stuffing. The always went for the extra dressing in the casserole dish. Why? They thought it was gross. So I gave that up too and now only make dressing in a casserole dish.
The one thing that I liked about stuffing the neck was that the cooked stuffing was always very moist. This dressing is moist as well thanks to the apples.
This dressing recipe was inspired on a recipe by the Food Network. I modified the recipe a bit for my tastes but the inspiration came from the Food Network.
This recipe pairs well with Brined and Smoked Turkey, Grilled Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Corn Without Cream and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Guanciale.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Water
- Chicken stock
- Stale bread, dried & cubed (out of a bag is fine)
- Onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Black pepper
- Fresh sage
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley
- Apple
- Pork sausage
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the water and chicken broth to the melted butter and stir. Turkey broth could also be used.
Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Pour the mixture over the dried bread cubes and stir to evenly coat the bread cubes. Set aside.
Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions and celery until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Then, add the fresh herbs and cook for another minute.
Add the diced apples to the sautéed vegetables and cook for another minute. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and set aside.
Next, brown the ground sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until done. Drain the sausage and add it and the vegetable mixture to the bread cube mixture in a very large bowl and stir to combine.
Place the mixture in a 13 X 9 inch baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the dressing is golden brown.
Serve your sage, sausage and apple dressing with roast turkey, sweet potato casserole and, of course, cranberry sauce.
Variations
The dressing in this recipe was made used bagged stale bread cubes from my local market. If you prefer, you could make your own bread cubes by cutting up some stale white bread and French bread into small pieces, then drying the cubes on a wire rack in the oven at 200°F for about 15 minutes.
If you like a dressing that is more dense and less loose, add a raw egg to the mixture before placing it in the baking dish. You don't want to add it to the hot chicken stock or vegetables or you will end up with cooked scrambled eggs in your dressing. Don't forget to scramble the egg before adding it.
Storage
Store cooked dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top Tip
Mild Italian sausage works well for this recipe. Avoid using spicy sausage and hot Italian sausage because the flavor is too strong.
This Sage, Sausage and Apple Dressing is a dish that will add warmth and flavor to your Thanksgiving dinner. Embrace the tradition of Thanksgiving with this delectable dressing and watch your guests come back for more. Enjoy!
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Sage Sausage Apple Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter plus 2 tbs
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock preferably low sodium
- 16 oz bread dried & cubed (out of a bag is fine)
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbs black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup sage leaves fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup thyme fresh, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 1 apple cored and chopped
- ½ lb pork sausage ground
Instructions
- Melt the stick of butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the water and chicken stock and stir. Pour the mixture over the dried bread cubes and stir to evenly coat the bread cubes. Set aside.
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions and celery until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Don't let the garlic turn brown. Add the pepper, sage, thyme and parsley and cook for another minute. Add the apples and cook for another minute, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the sausage in a frying pan until browned. Drain the sausage and add it and the sautéed vegetables to the bread cube mixture and stir to combine.
- Place the mixture in a 13 X 9 baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Enjoy!
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