IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT STUFFING RECIPE

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It Stuffing Recipe image

Like a greatest hits album, this recipe combines the essential elements and the most successful techniques from all of our most popular stuffing recipes.

Provided by Chris Morocco

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more
1 1/2 pound loaf sourdough bread, sliced 1" thick, torn into 1/2"-3/4" pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound breakfast sausage, casings removed if needed
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal or 1 1/4 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
3 large eggs
4 cups Thanksgiving Stock or low-sodium chicken broth, divided

Steps:

Place racks in middle and top of oven; preheat to 300°F. Butter a 3-qt. baking dish. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake on middle rack, tossing occasionally, until dried out (do not let brown more than just a bit around the edges), 25-35 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Arrange sausage in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Break up into bite-size pieces with 2 spatulas or spoons and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer sausage to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium and melt 1 cup butter in same skillet. Add onion, fennel, and celery; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but not browned, 12-15 minutes. Add wine and scrape bottom of skillet to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Toss in parsley, sage, and thyme and let mixture cool in skillet.
Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Whisk eggs and 2 cups stock in a very large bowl. Add bread, sausage, and onion mixture and toss well to combine. Add 2 tsp. or 1 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Drizzle remaining 2 cups stock over and toss again to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until bread absorbs all of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
Transfer stuffing to prepared dish; butter a sheet of foil and cover dish, butter side down. Bake on middle rack until very hot throughout (it should feel too hot to comfortably touch in the center; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 160°F), 35-40 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Remove foil and transfer baking dish to top rack. Continue to bake stuffing until golden brown, 25-30 minutes longer.
Stuffing can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.