Cornbread Dressing with Sage and Smoked Sausage

Name: Cornbread Dressing with Sage and Smoked Sausage
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 115 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tbsp baking powder; 2 1/4 cups buttermilk, divided; 5 large eggs, divided; 10 tbsp unsalted butter, divided; 1 lb smoked pork sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced; 2 cups yellow onion, diced; 1 1/2 cups celery, diced; 3 tbsp fresh sage, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warmed; 2 tsp kosher salt, divided; 1 tsp black pepper

Chef-created by Chef Joel

Day-old buttermilk cornbread, browned smoked sausage and plenty of fresh sage, baked in a casserole until the top is crisp and the middle is custardy.

📝 Notes: Chef Joel: Bake the cornbread on Tuesday and let it dry out on the counter. Fresh, moist cornbread is the most common mistake, and it gives you a heavy, gummy pan. You can assemble the whole dish Wednesday and bake it Thursday while the turkey rests. For 20 or more, make it in two 9x13 pans rather than one deep one, so the middle reaches temperature before the edges dry out. Don't skip the buttermilk in the custard; that little bit of tang is what makes people ask for the recipe.

⏱ Prep 40m🔥 Cook 75m🕒 Total 115m🍽 12 servings

#thanksgiving#holiday#dressing#make-ahead#southern classic

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Ingredients

2 cupsstone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 cupall-purpose flour
1 tbspbaking powder
2 1/4 cupsbuttermilk, divided
5large eggs, divided
10 tbspunsalted butter, divided
1 lbsmoked pork sausage, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 cupsyellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cupscelery, diced
3 tbspfresh sage, chopped
1 tbspfresh thyme leaves
4 cupslow-sodium chicken stock, warmed
2 tspkosher salt, divided
1 tspblack pepper

Nutrition / serving

360

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Approximate values.

Cost estimate

$16.20

Total (12 servings)

$1.35

Per serving

Approximate, based on the US national average ($1.05–$1.85/serving range).

My notes

Method

1
A day or two ahead, heat the oven to 425°F with a 10-inch cast-iron skillet inside. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and 1 tsp salt, then whisk in 2 cups buttermilk and 2 eggs. Melt 4 tbsp butter in the hot skillet, pour most of it into the batter, and pour the batter back into the sizzling pan.
2
Bake the cornbread 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden. Cool it, crumble it onto a sheet pan, and leave it out, loosely covered, overnight. Dry crumbs soak up stock without turning to paste, which is the whole difference between dressing and mush.
3
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage in 1 tbsp butter, about 8 minutes. Browning matters: the caramelized edges flavor every bite of the pan. Lift it out and leave the fat behind.
4
Add the remaining butter, the onion and the celery to the skillet with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and sweet but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the sage and thyme for the last minute so they bloom in the fat.
5
In a very large bowl, toss the cornbread crumbs with the sausage and vegetables. Whisk the remaining 3 eggs with the warm stock, the remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, the rest of the salt and the pepper, then pour it over and fold gently. It should look wetter than you think; the cornbread drinks it up in the oven.
6
Spread it into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish without packing it down. At this point it can be covered and refrigerated for up to a day.
7
Bake at 375°F, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes (add 10 minutes if it went in cold), until the top is browned and crisp at the edges. Because it holds chicken stock and eggs, it is done when the center registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
8
Let it stand 10 minutes so it sets enough to scoop cleanly, then serve with plenty of gravy.