Cranberry and Sage Stuffing

The stuffing is everyone's favourite Thanksgiving side dish - in fact, some people rate it over the big bird itself. One bite of this cranberry stuffing and you'll see why the side gets so much love. The combination of pork sausage, rye bread, fresh or frozen cranberries and sage creates an aromatic, flavour-packed dish whether you bake it in a dish or use it to stuff poultry. We created this recipe to pair with our roasted game hens, but it works just as deliciously with roast chicken or turkey.

6 Tbsp. butter, plus more, softened, for dish
1 loaf rye sandwich bread (1 lb)
6 oz breakfast sausage, crumbled (1 cup)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1½ cups)
4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
6 oz fresh cranberries, thawed if frozen (1½ cups)
1¼ cups turkey or chicken stock, preferably homemade, divided
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5). Brush a 2½-3 qt baking dish with butter.

Toast the Bread:
Shingle bread on a rimmed baking sheet in a single overlapping layer. Bake, flipping once, until golden and very dry, about 25 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut into approximately 1" pieces; transfer to a large bowl.

Cook the Sausage and Vegetables:
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium. When butter melts and foam subsides, add sausage, onion and celery; season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is cooked through and vegetables are tender, but no colour has developed, 10-12 minutes. Stir in herbs and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Assembly:
Transfer to bowl with bread mixture along with cranberries and 1 cup stock. Season and toss to combine.

Whisk remaining ¼ cup stock with eggs. Pour over bread mixture and gently stir to combine.

Cover with parchment-lined foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden brown, about 25-30 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes or loosely covered for up to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Make-Ahead:

• To get ahead when making this stuffing as part of a big dinner, you can toast and cut the bread up as far as three days ahead - store it in an airtight container at room temperature.
• The stuffing can be prepared through the second step a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to bake.