Sausage, Cornbread And Chestnut Dressing

This is one of my all time favorite Thanksgiving recipes and the one I will making this year at the new house.  Did I tell you we are moving the day after Thanksgiving??

 

Ingredients:

• 8 cups cubed day-old corn bread (1-inch cubes)*
• 2 cups cubed day-old country-style white bread,
  crusts removed (1-inch cubes)
• 1 1/2 lb. mild Italian pork sausage, casings
  removed
• 1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil, if needed
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup roasted and peeled chestnuts, quartered
• 1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as
  sage, rosemary and thyme
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow gratin pan.

Spread the corn bread and white bread out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Return the pan to medium heat. Add the olive oil to the accumulated fat in the pan, if needed. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage. Add the corn bread and white bread, the chestnuts, herbs and stock. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.

Transfer the dressing to the prepared gratin pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until browned and crispy, 35 to 40 minutes more. Serves 10 to 12.

*You can make your own cornbread or buy one at the store

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Roasting Chestnuts - Tips & Techniques

If you are in a small town this holiday season, or anywhere you can't find prepared chestnuts in a jar, don't despair!  Fresh chestnuts are in the produce department of most supermarkets.  Roasting them and preparing them for a recipe is a cinch.  Just follow these simple steps!

1. Using a small, sharp knife or a chestnut knife, score, or shallowly cut, an X on one side of each nut. Be careful not to cut through the nutmeat.

2. To roast the chestnuts in the oven: Lay the nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet, and roast in a 350°F oven until the nuts are fragrant and the scored portions begin to separate from the shells, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you're going to eat the chestnuts plain, increase the heat to 400°F and bake until the shells give slightly when pressed with oven mitt-protected fingers.)

3. To roast the chestnuts in a chestnut pan: Heat the pan over medium-low heat and add the chestnuts. Cook, tossing the chestnuts frequently, until the shells crack and the chestnuts are cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes over a gas flame burner, 35 to 40 minutes over an electric or conduction burner.

4. Transfer the nuts to a platter or heatproof surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel to keep them warm.

5. Using a kitchen towel or pot holder, pick up each nut and, with your fingers or the knife, peel back the scored X. Peel off the hard outer shell and the thin, beige, soft inner skin. Discard any nuts that, once peeled, look dried out.

6. Eat the chestnuts immediately or use as directed in a recipe.

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Kitchen Companion

Cooks Note: To prepare them the French way, after roasting and peeling, boil them in water or chicken bouillon until tender (Jacques Pepin)