This stuffing was cooked outside of the turkey since I was worried about internal turkey temperatures, even cooking and just plain freaking out about it all. Maybe next year, I'll place some inside the turkey so it picks up more turkey flavor. Hate to say it but all the butter makes this dish sing.
APPLE, CHESTNUT AND MUSHROOM STUFFING serves 10 people
adapted from Saveur
2 loaves of Italian bread (about 10+ cups), with crust on, sliced into 1/2-inch cubes
12 tablespoons (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, split
8 ounces of white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4-inch thick
Coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 medium onions (about 2 cups), chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
6 stalks celery with leaves, rinsed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1/4-cup sage, chopped
1/4-cup parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons marjoram, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large Gala apples, peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, sliced 1/4-inch thick
10 ounces of cooked chestnuts, coarsely crumbled
4-6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Arrange bread cubes on two baking trays. Air-dry overnight. If doing this ahead of time, place dried bread cubes in an airtight plastic bag until ready to finish. Once you're ready...
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using one tablespoon of butter, grease the inside of a 9x13 pan.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté mushrooms until brown, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mushrooms to a small bowl and return skillet to burner. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add onions, celery and bay leaf; sauté until brown, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons sage, 2 tablespoons parsley, marjoram, thyme, nutmeg and apples; sauté for 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in mushrooms. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Add remaining sage, parsley, chestnuts, and bread; toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together 4 cups of chicken broth and eggs. Pour over bread mixture and toss. If the mixture looks too dry, add remaining 2 cups of broth.
Transfer mixture to the buttered baking dish and gently press down. Melt remaining butter in microwave. Drizzle butter over the top. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!