Sausage-based Poultry Stuffing

At right is a copy of a copy of a copy of the original stuffing recipe that was handed down from my grandmother to my mother, and eventually on to me. The handwriting is my Mom’s, although this is my second or third copy of the recipe. I apparently used to have a problem losing recipes. Who can blame me in this Hectic household, eh?

I’ve made some modifications, so below is the recipe that I use for starters. As one of those family favorites, there is a lot more guesswork and seat-of-the-pants work as opposed to strict measuring and timing. This is one of those artistic recipes, that’s more art than science.

Traditional Sausage-based Poultry Stuffing

NOTE: This is enough stuffing for a 20ish pound turkey

Ingredients

• 3 pounds bulk breakfast or Italian sausage
• 4 packages of flavored croutons (6 oz package)
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 gallon milk (this will vary greatly)
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Celery Seed
• Coarsely ground salt

Directions

• Be sure to remove anything in both cavities
• Clean turkey cavities with cold water
• Rub inside of cavities with generous amounts of salt
• Brown sausage
• Drain off excess fat
• Be sure to break sausage up as much as possible
• Beat eggs
• Place croutons in a large bowl
• Stir in eggs and about half the milk
• Mix well and stir occasionally
• Mixture should be light and fluffy, not watery
• Add milk as necessary, but don’t make it too heavy and soggy
• Add the bulk sausage to the crouton mixture
• Add the spices to the mixture
  • Start with 2 tablespoons (TBS) of Garlic, Onion, Black Pepper, and Celery
  • If you like things spicier, increase the spices accordingly
• Stir and mix thoroughly
• Fill the neck cavity with the stuffing mixture first
• Pack the stuffing in pretty tightly into this cavity
• Secure the skin flap if you want using string (I usually omit this step)
• Fill the larger cavity with the stuffing mixture
• Again, pack it pretty tightly
• Roast your turkey, the time depends on the size of the bird, but it will
• If you have stuffing left over
  • Preheat the oven to 350F
  • Thoroughly grease a covered casserole dish big enough for the stuffing
  • Place the covered casserole dish in a another dish/pan filled with water
  • Bake the stuffing for at least 1 1/2 hours

Hints & Notes

• Be sure the turkey is entirely defrosted, you just can’t get around this step
• Be sure you clean out the cavity well, rinsing it several times
• Cleaning and stuffing a turkey is messy business. Deal with it 🙂
• Use a large enough bowl to mix the croutons etc. or you will fling them everywhere
• “Light and fluffy” may sound odd for a stuffing, but you don’t want a soaked, soggy mess when you wet the croutons. Think frosted flakes when you start eating them rather than the mess at the end.
• The neck cavity of a turkey is the one with the skin flap, away from the legs
• The pan of water for the extra stuffing keeps the bottom of the stuffing from burning