Oyster-Cornbread Stuffing

herb side bake thanksgiving dinner stuffing/dressing sausage oyster fall bon appétit sugar conscious wheat/gluten-free peanut free tree nut free soy free no sugar added

John Currence

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Source

Ingredients

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 sprig sage plus 1 tablespoon thinly sliced sage leaves

1 sprig rosemary

1 pound breakfast sausage, casings removed

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

4 dozen small shucked oysters in their liquor (about 1 cup liquor)

4 large eggs, whisked

12 cups savory (not sweet) cornbread cut into 3/4" cubes, stale or toasted in a 300° oven until dry

Method

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine broth, sage sprig, and rosemary sprig in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat and let stock steep until ready to use.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until cooked through, 7-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large bowl, leaving any rendered fat in pan.

Melt butter in skillet; add onions and celery and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add onion mixture, sliced sage, parsley, and thyme to bowl with sausage. Mix well; season with salt and pepper. Add oysters with liquor, reserved broth (sprigs removed), and eggs; toss to combine. Add cornbread; toss until well blended and cornbread absorbs most of liquid.

Spoon stuffing into a 3-quart baking dish. If any liquid remains in bowl, drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup over to moisten cornbread (amount varies depending on dryness of cornbread). Bake until browned and liquid is absorbed, 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes, tenting with foil if top gets too dark.