Lunch: Country Sausage and Sage Dressing

Recipe by Jasper White This recipe is intended as a baked dressing to accompany the Thanksgiving turkey . It can be used as stuffing (a practice I do not recommend for turkey), if you desire. It also makes a good stuffing for capon or pork.

Ingredients

2 baguettes (long French bread), stale, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound Country Sausages, preferably homemade
1 large onion, cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice (2 cups)
5 stalks celery, peeled, split lengthwise and cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut in large (3/4 to 1 inch) dice
15 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves picked and very coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)
6 to 8 branches fresh sage, leaves picked and coarsely chopped (1/4 cup)
4 eggs
2 cups turkey or chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

The bread should be completely stale. If not, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and put in a low oven (250 degrees) for about 1 hour to dry them out. (I think this light toasting gives the dressing a better flavor.)
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown it, breaking up meat into pieces about the size of a quarter. This need not be precise. Transfer meat from skillet to large bowl, using a slotted spoon. Add onion and celery to the skillet. After 1 minute, add the apples and cook 2 more minutes. Place in bowl with sausage.
Add bread cubes, parsley and sage to the bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and stock with the salt and pepper. Pour this over the sausage mixture and gently toss all the ingredients. They should combine without mushing.
Generously butter a 16-inch baking pan (2 tablespoons). Spread the mixture in the pan and dot with more butter (4 tablespoons).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should have a nice golden brown crust.