SAUSAGE, PEAR AND PARSNIP STUFFING

Sausage, Pear and Parsnip Stuffing image

Categories Egg Side Bake Thanksgiving Stuffing/Dressing Pear Sausage Leek Parsnip Fall Sage Bon Appétit Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free

Yield Serves 12

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1 1-pound loaf unsliced egg bread, crust trimmed, bread cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
2 cups 1/4-inch cubes peeled parsnips (about 5 medium)
1 pound breakfast-style bulk sausage
6 tablespoons (about) unsalted butter, melted
3 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 cup chopped dried pears
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds under-ripe Anjou pears, unpeeled, halved, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup plus additional canned low-salt chicken broth
5 large eggs, beaten to blend

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bread cubes on large rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until just beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet. Transfer to large bowl. Maintain oven temperature. Steam parsnips over boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes.
Sauté sausage in heavy large pot set over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through, breaking into small pieces with back of spoon, about 7 minutes. Transfer sausage to strainer set over bowl. Add enough melted butter to sausage drippings to measure 6 tablespoons; add to pot. Heat over medium-low heat. Add leeks, dried pears, sage, nutmeg and parsnips to pot and sauté until leeks are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; stir in sausage.
Heat 2 tablespoons melted butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add fresh pears and sauté until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl with parsnip mixture. Add 1 cup broth to same pot and boil until reduced almost to glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add to parsnip mixture. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover bread and parsnip mixture separately. Store bread at room temperature. Refrigerate parsnip mixture.) Add parsnip mixture to bread. Season with salt and pepper. Mix eggs into stuffing.
To bake stuffing in turkey:
Loosely fill main cavity with stuffing. Add enough broth to remaining stuffing to moisten lightly (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Generously butter glass baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
To bake all of stuffing in baking dish:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Add enough broth to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup). Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with butter foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes longer.