Sausage Stuffing

I'll start the Fakesgiving recipe posts with this one, because I got it from Food Network and I can just paste it in. This was a really strange sounding combo of ingredients, but it came out very good and colorful, not at all like the bland-brown lump we know and love so much! I also thought it'd be sweet, which somehow it wasn't. I recommend it, but if your family is used to Stove Top - and craves it on Thanksgiving as much as we do - you should make both!

Sausage Stuffing
Recipe courtesy Julie Song, www.foodtv.com

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

3 cups onion, chopped

2 cups celery, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

6 cups croutons (I made my own croutons; see below)

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups dried cherries (I used dried cranberries instead)

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

2 cups chicken stock, plus extra as needed

Salt and pepper

Saute sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling sausage with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Discard sausage fat in pan. Add butter, onions, and celery to skillet and saute until tender, about 10 to15 minutes. Add to sausage, along with herbs and croutons, mix to combine. In a medium bowl, combine allspice, maple syrup, cherries, pecans, and chicken stock. Add to crouton mixture. The mixture should be moist, but not soggy. Add more chicken stock, if necessary. Transfer stuffing to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the top is golden.

Prepackaged croutons are more expensive than they're worth by far, and they have too many varieties, too many chemical sounding ingredients...... And fresh homemade ones couldn't be easier to make. Make these for salads and soups at home, and experiment cutting them into different shapes (cubed or flat) and sizes. You can add herbs, spices, and/or cheese, too, such as granulated garlic or onion, cayenne pepper, rosemary, and Parmesan, just make double sure they don't burn, or even add them after the croutons are cooked but while they are still warm.

Croutons

Bakery bread such as French or Italian bread, baguette, or sourdough

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat broiler, or oven to 450. Cut the bread into medium-sized cubes. Toss them onto a baking sheet in an even layer and drizzle generously with olive oil, add salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly. Broil or bake them just until nicely browned and crunchy.

Alternately, these can be made on the stove top in a large skillet. (Handy if your oven is full!) Heat the largest skillet you have on high. Add the olive oil, then the bread cubes, salt, and pepper. Stir around to coat, and cook them until browned and crunchy.

Don't walk away while making croutons - they cook, and burn, fast!