Thanksgiving Stuffing (Dressing)

I was asked to bring stuffing for our Thanksgiving pitch-in, which to me means make something simple complicated (homemade). This was a huge hit and miles above the boxed equivalent.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon more
• 1.5 pounds loaf sourdough bread, sliced 1 inch thick, torn into 1/2–3/4-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound breakfast sausage, casings removed if needed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
• 3 large eggs
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300° with racks in the middle.
2. Butter a 3-qt. baking dish.
3. Divide bread between 2 baking sheets and bake until dried out, 25–35 minutes. Let cool.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook sausage, breaking into small pieces, and until a little crispy. Transfer sausage to a plate.
5. Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in same skillet.
6. Add onion, fennel, and celery; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are very tender but not browned, 12–15 minutes.
7. Add wine to deglaze. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes.
8. Toss in parsley, sage, and thyme and let mixture cool in skillet.
9. Increase oven temperature to 350°.
10. Whisk eggs and 2 cups stock in a very large bowl.
11. Add bread, sausage, and onion mixture and toss well to combine. Add salt and pepper.
12. Drizzle remaining 2 cups stock over and toss again to combine.
13. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until bread absorbs all of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
14. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish; butter a sheet of foil and cover dish, butter side down.
15. Bake on middle rack until very hot throughout (center should register 160°), 35–40 minutes.
16. Increase oven temperature to 425°.
17. Remove foil and transfer baking dish to top rack. Continue to bake stuffing until golden brown, 25–30 minutes longer.

Source: Bon Appetit