Charlie's Sourdough-Sausage Stuffing

Charlie's Sourdough-Sausage Stuffing

Ingredients

2 lbs sourdough (use good quality store bought sourdough)

4 sweet or hot Italian sausages

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter

2 c finely diced celery

1 softball-sized celery root, peeled and diced

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 T fresh thyme leaves

1 T celery seed, crushed

3 c chicken stock

½ c chopped Italian parsley

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

Break sourdough into small pieces and toast in oven at 325 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven and reserve.

Turn oven up to 350°F. Generously butter a 3-quart casserole.

Spread sourdough pieces out onto a sheet pan. Toast in the oven until lightly browned and dry; let cool, then transfer to a large bowl.

Pierce the sausages in several places, then cook them in a sauté pan over medium heat until cooked through and

sizzling; remove them from the pan and slice them. If there’s more than about 4 tablespoons of fat in the pan, pour off the excess.

Melt the butter in the pan, then add the celery, celery root, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and celery seed, and cook just until fragrant. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil.

Add the contents of the pan, the sausage, and the parsley to the bread, stirring to mix. Season, then stir in the eggs.

Turn the stuffing into the prepared dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.