OCD Strikes Again!

I have gathered all of the recipes I’ve posted into one place, and I’ll be sure to put other recipes I post there too.

That having been said, here is the recipe for

Duncan’s Mom’s Cornbread Dressing

First off, a very important statement from Saint Alton: STUFFING IS EVIL. It adds mass which increases the cooking time and that leads to dry meat. It’s also a haven for bacteria like salmonella and it’s good buddy campylobacter. Neither of which make very good side dishes. Now, stuffing is evil but dressing is not, which is why I always cook the dressing outside of whatever poultry we’re making. And now, the recipe, (adapted from my mom’s recipe). This makes 8-10 servings.

8 cups white bread crumbs
4 cups cornbread crumbs
1.5 pounds mild Italian sausage
4 Tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
6 stalks celery, diced
3 cups chicken broth
1 Tablespoon sage
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon thyme
Salt
Pepper (fresh-ground)
3 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F. Combine the white bread crumbs with the cornbread crumbs and spread evenly on two cookie sheets. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir around well, and place in oven for another 10 minutes. Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage from the casing (just slit down the length and peel the casing off) and pull into small (1/2″ – 3/4″ diameter) bits. Fry the sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through. Set aside to drain.

In a large skillet, melt the butter then add the onions and celery. Sautee until the celery is soft and the onions are translucent. Add the contents of the skillet to the breadcrumbs. Add the sausage to the breadcrumbs as well. Add the chicken broth to the bowl and, using your hands, mix everything together well. Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each egg is added. Once the last egg is just combined, transfer the mixture into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

Place in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or strand of spaghetti comes out clean after being inserted.

Notes: For the white bread crumbs, I used buttermilk bread, which makes fabulous bread crumbs. A word of warning about the cornbread: if you don’t make your own, be sure to taste the cornbread you buy from the store and make sure it isn’t too sweet. I didn’t and this year’s dressing suffered for it.