Fat Mama – Thanksgiving stuffing hack
Fat Mama – Thanksgiving stuffing hack - make ahead of time
I don’t stuff my bird with bread crumbs anymore, I want a larger batch than a bird can hold. And I want it all to be cooked and taste the same. Stuffing from the inside of a bird is usually soggy it’s so wet. I’d rather use those pan juices to make a great pan gravy for the turkey and mashed potatoes.
My current kitchen is bigger than my last one, but it’s still not big. One oven, and four stove top burners. The difference is I actually have counter space, I don’t have to put a cutting board over the sink for food preparation.
After I sauté all my vegetables, brown the sausage, and any other meat I want to incorporate, I mix it with homemade bread cubes. At this time you can refrigerate the stuffing until needed. 4 hours before needed I put the stuffing in my crock pot set on low. I add stock as it’s needed. The crock pot tends to draw liquids out of food, so be careful, or the stuffing will be too wet. But, make sure the stuffing doesn’t burn on the bottom and dry out. Just keep an eye on it while you work in the kitchen.
One or two days before Thanksgiving:
I bake bread often the week of thanksgiving, and keep several simple French bread or sour dough French bread loaves. Store bought French bread is also acceptable.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Bread will be in the oven overnight.
2 loves of French bread, cut into cubes should be about 1 or 2 inch cubes. Don't cut the bread into tiny cubes, and don't worry about the cubes being exactly the same.
2 or 3 cookie sheets
Heat the oven to 200 degrees, spread the bread cubes out on the cookie sheets. Place the bread in the oven and turn the heat off. Leave the oven door closed and the bread in the oven over night.
The bread should be nice and dry.
For stuffing I like to use:
Celery a whole stock chopped, leaves too
Onions 2 or 3, chopped
Parsley – fresh ½ cup chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Sage to taste
Savory to taste
Marjoram to taste
Bulk sausage 1 pound
Ground beef 1 pound
Dry bread cubes ( 2 loaves of French bread cubed and oven dried)
Make it fancy sautéed mushrooms with garlic and butter - optional
Chicken or Turkey stock 3 to 4 cups
Break up the sausage and ground beef with a wooden spoon and brown in a skillet, set aside in a large bowl, sauté the vegetables, except mushrooms and garlic, and spices in the meat fat. Then Sauté mushrooms and garlic in butter.
Mix everything in a large bowl, add some of the stock, mix until every is moist. At this point the stuffing can be refrigerated. I love big zip lock bags, the stuffing can be placed in a zip lock with all the air pressed out, you can use the fresh apple hack, and stick a straw into the bad and remove extra air. The spices and onions and garlic will develop bigger flavors when made ahead. (Hey this is good, what's your secret?)
About 4 hours prior to dinner place stuffing in a buttered or Nonstick cooking spray coated crockpot set on low. Add stock as needed to keep stuffing moist. If the stuffing is too wet, slip a wooden spoon under the edge of the lid and let steam escape. Resist the urge to turn the slow cooker to high. The stuffing can be in the slow cooker for up to 4 hours.
If you wish to brown the stuffing, place it in a broiler pan and drizzle extra virgin olive oil or melted butter over the top, if you like. While the turkey rests slid the stuffing under the broiler and let it brown. Serve with cranberry sauce.
Have a tasty holiday!