Sausage and Herb Stuffing

The turkey on Thanksgiving dinner will be lonely without its the good old partner, the stuffing. This year I used the recipe of Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa fame at Food TV network. This stuffing turned out to be flavorful and tasty.

SAUSAGE AND HERB STUFFING

INGREDIENTS:
16 cups 1-inch bread cubes, white or sourdough (1 1/2 lb loaf)
8 Tbsps (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups medium-diced celery (2 stalks)
2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large-diced
2 Tbsps chopped flat-leaf parsley ( I used 1 Tbsp the dried Parsley flakes instead)
1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup dried cranberry

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 300 deg. F. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 deg. F. Remove the bread into a a very large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add the bread cubes.
3. In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through. breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.
4. Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 x 12 inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.