Roasted Chestnut Sausage Dressing Recipes

CHESTNUT-AND-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Let bread cubes stand on a baking sheet at room temperature 3 hours to dry.
• Lay each chestnut flat on a work surface, and cut an X in the pointed tip of shell with a paring or chestnut knife. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Boil chestnuts 2 minutes; remove pot from heat. Remove chestnuts with a slotted spoon; peel away shells. Quarter nutmeat; transfer to a large bowl. Add bread.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split sausages; scrape meat into a large saute pan set over medium heat; crumble with a fork. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add oil; swirl pan. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 15 to 17 minutes. Add to bread mixture.
• Add wine to pan. Scraping up any brown bits from bottom with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until wine is reduced by half. Add to bread mixture.
• Add stock to bread mixture; toss. Add thyme, sage, and parsley. Add the salt, and season with pepper. Stir in eggs.
• To bake stuffing: Place stuffing in a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. To cook in turkey: Stuff as directed. Place remaining 5 cups stuffing in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish; bake as directed above.

CROWN ROAST OF PORK WITH CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lay the racks of pork on a cutting board with the ribs curving upward. Cut 1/2-inch deep slits in the meat between each rib bone. Stand the racks up back to back, fat sides touching, with the meaty-sides down and the concave curve of the ribs facing upward.
• Thread a trussing needle with kitchen string and use it to pierce between the upper third of the two last rib bone ends and tie them together; repeat in the lower third of the last two rib bone ends to tie them together. Repeat on the other end of the racks. Shape the tied meat into an oval, bending where the slits are, to make a crown. Tie a string around the entire meaty bottom of the pork below the other two ties, securing the racks together so they hold their shape.
• Transfer the pork to a roasting pan or low-sided braiser. Rub the pork with the olive oil and season with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Fill the center of the roast with Chestnut and Sausage Stuffing, then transfer to the oven.
• Roast the pork until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat reads 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour 45 minutes,. Transfer to a cutting board or serving platter and let rest for 20 minutes. Pull out all the string ties, then carve into chops and serve with the stuffing.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the bread pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden and dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned and no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, fennel and onions to the sausage pan. Add the butter and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine the vegetables and cook until they are softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Next, add the parsley, sage and thyme.
• In the mixing bowl with the golden bread chunks, add the chestnuts and chicken broth. Add the sausage mixture and stir to combine. If filling the crown roast of pork, the stuffing is ready to use at this point.
• Alternately, butter a 2-quart casserole dish and spoon the stuffing into the dish. Cover the dish with foil and bake until golden brown, 30 minutes.

CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the mushrooms, onions and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the sausage, parsley, thyme and pepper. Add broth; heat through. Remove from the heat. Add bread cubes and chestnuts; toss to coat., Transfer to a greased shallow 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

HERB-ROASTED TURKEY WITH CHESTNUT-AND-SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425, with rack in lower third. Rinse turkey inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack set in a large roasting pan.
• Blend 4 tablespoons butter with 2 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Loosen skin of turkey at body-cavity end with your fingers; spread mixture under skin all over (reach as far back as possible).
• Gently push 3 parsley sprigs under skin on each side of turkey breast (use a table knife to push them as far as possible, keeping leaves flat). Loosen neck skin; slide a parsley sprig on each side of top of breast. Repeat with sage leaves, placing 4 leaves on each side of breast and 2 leaves on each side of top of breast.
• Rub turkey with remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Loosely stuff body cavity with 4 3/4 cups stuffing, andneck cavity with 1/4 cup. Tie drumsticks together loosely with kitchen twine. Fold neck skin under body, and secure with toothpicks. Tuck wing tips under wings.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes. Baste turkey; reduce oven temperature to 350. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh (avoiding bone) registers 180, and stuffing registers 165, 2 to 3 hours. (If skin darkens too quickly during roasting, tent with foil.)
• Let turkey rest 20 minutes before carving. Leave juices in roasting pan to make gravy.

CHESTNUT SAUSAGE STUFFING

Steps:

• Make a gash in the side of each chestnut. Cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and peel the chestnuts while they are still hot (do this using rubber gloves to protect your hands). Simmer the chestnuts in the chicken stock until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain, reserving the stock.
• Meanwhile, soften the onions in the butter. In a separate pan, brown the sausage meat, crumbling it with a fork as it cooks. Drain on paper towels.
• Soak the bread crumbs in milk for 10 minutes and squeeze dry. Place the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add the thyme, sage, parsley, Cognac and cooked sausage meat. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
• Chop the chestnuts coarsely and add them to the mixture. Moisten with a half-cup of chicken stock or a little more if the mixture seems very dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.