ROASTED GARLIC, SAGE, AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

ROASTED GARLIC, SAGE, AND SAUSAGE STUFFING image

Yield serves 10

Number Of Ingredients 14

5 cups crumbled Cornbread
3 cups cooked Carolina Gold ricecold
9 tablespoons butterplus more for pan
3 medium carrotspeeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
1 large onioncut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
3 ribs celerystrings removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium green peppercut into 1/4-inch dice (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 pounds sweet fennel sausagecasing removed
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons finely chopped sage
1 1/2 teaspoons saltplus more to taste
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepperplus more to taste
3 to 4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock , or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
3 bulbs roasted garlic

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 375°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and rice, and set aside. In a large skillet, melt 5 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add carrots, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add onion and celery, and sauté until onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add green pepper, and sauté 1 minute. Combine vegetables and corn-bread mixture. 2. In same skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up large pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon; mix with corn-bread mixture, along with poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Discard rendered fat from skillet. Add stock, 1 cup at a time; mix. (You may not need all stock.) Stuffing should be well moistened. 3. Squeeze garlic from skins; mix gently into corn-bread mixture; keep them whole. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter; drizzle over top of stuffing. Bake until top is golden and stuffing is heated through, 45 to 50 minutes. To reheat, bring to room temperature, and cover; bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove cover; bake until heated through, about 10 minutes more.