Gastronomy: Festive, Flavorful Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing

Because of the warm temperatures across the country, it's hard to imagine that the holiday season is upon us. With Thanksgiving a mere two weeks away, it's time to start thinking about your menu.

A Thanksgiving meal is not complete without the stuffing. With endless variations to choose from, it can be a bit overwhelming. My recipe is a traditional sausage, chestnut stuffing—the original recipe, derived from William’s Sonoma. With a few changes over the years, I have made it my own. The sausage and chestnuts make it rich, moist, and earthy. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Sausage, Chestnut Stuffing

1 large loaf of sourdough or hard crusted Italian ciabatta.
5 T butter
1 finely chopped large shallot or half of a large onion
1 1/2 c rough chopped, mixed assorted mushrooms (about half button white)
1 1/2 c chopped, steamed chestnuts
1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
2 T finely chopped fresh sage
1 T finely chopped fresh thyme
4 T finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
3 c turkey or chicken stock (preferably homemade)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Dice bread into cubes and dry out on cookie sheets for at least 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Brown sausage in a large frying pan, remove from heat and drain oil. Set aside. In the same pan, melt butter. Sauté shallot over medium heat, until translucent, stirring not to burn. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; sauté another 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add sausage and return to heat. Cook until lightly browned. Mix in thyme, parsley, and sage. Combine with the mushroom mixture. Add bread cubes and mix thoroughly together, adding stock a little bit at a time. The consistency should be moist, but not soggy. Place into 9 x 13 baking dish and cook for one hour until top is golden brown. Serves 12.

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Gastronomy: Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling

My husband's ancestors emigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany prior to 1800. When I found my partner, I didn't just marry a man, but an entire Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. My first Thanksgiving with my new family showcased the Pennsylvania Dutch specialties: Cope's dried, sweet corn; endive salad with a warm, bacon-kissed dressing; slow-stewed tomatoes; and, the prized show stopper, potato filling.

Instead of a traditional bread stuffing, many of the Pennsylvania Dutch filled their turkeys with a rich and buttery bread and potato mixture. My husband’s grandmother and mother never measured the ingredients, but were kind enough to estimate the quantities and let me shadow them a few times over the years. Because of its popularity in our family, we not only stuff the turkey with potato filling, but serve it as a side in a large casserole, baked to perfection. The filling provides a wonderful accompaniment to poultry, is brilliant left over, and can be made a day ahead of time or even frozen. To top it off, using this recipe means that you don’t have to prepare both potatoes and stuffing on the same day—the Pennsylvania Dutch managed to beautifully marry the two.

Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling

5 lbs white potatoes, peeled, quartered
5-6 onions, delicately diced
1-2 sticks butter, + 2 T butter
6 slices of white bread, broken into small pieces
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c fresh, Italian parsley, finely chopped (or 4 t dried parsley)
Milk, if necessary (usually ½ - 1 cup)
Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in a large boiling pot for approximately 20 minutes, or until you can easily stick them with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, melt butter and add chopped onions. Cook over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until onions are tender and translucent. Set aside.

Drain water from potatoes; return potatoes to pot to mash. (For a chunkier texture, use a potato masher; for a fine texture, use a hand mixer, which I prefer.) To the potatoes, fold in cooked onion, broken bread pieces, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. If too dry or stiff, add enough milk to create a light, creamy texture. Place in greased baking dish, dot with remainder of butter, and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for approximately 1 hour or until golden brown.

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