INSIDE/OUTSIDE STUFFING

Across America, there continues to be the great debate—is stuffing better when it is cooked inside the turkey or just in a baking dish? For most of my family and me, we are definitely inside bird people and find the stuffing to be much moister than when it is cooked outside of the bird. But now everyone is afraid of everything, so if we don’t get the stuffing to just the right temperature we’ll all get salmonella and spend the next week living on tea and toast.

So in order to get that inside bird moistness without actually stuffing the bird, I think I’ve come up with a recipe that is safe, moist, AND delicious.

INGREDIENT

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large chicken livers, chopped (optional)
3 hot Italian ground turkey sausage links
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
1 pound cornbread stuffing cubes
¼ parsley, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups of chicken broth

PREPARATION

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the livers and sausage until browned, about five minutes. Break up the meats so that there are no large chunks. Set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.

In an extra large bowl, pour in the onions and celery, making sure to scrape down the sides of the skillet to get all the remaining butter. Add in the liver and sausage, cornbread cubes, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until all are well incorporated. Add in one and half cups of the chicken broth, mixing well.

Scoop all of the stuffing into a buttered casserole dish. Drizzle the last half-cup of chicken broth evenly over the stuffing. Cover the dish and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.