The Stuff of Holidays

by Mark Estee

Stuffing or dressing... what you call it and how you prepare it depends on how and where you were raised. In my house, we only had stuffing one way for every holiday because that is how Nana Pappas made it, and she made it that way because that is how Nana Vallery made it, and so on and so forth.

Do you stuff the Thanksgiving bird and then cook it in the oven? Do you make the dressing on the side and let it bake and get crispy on the edges? Do you use vegetable stock? How much butter? So many options and so many family traditions.

For those of you without a recipe four generations old, here are three to try out during the holidays, or any day for that matter, because stuffing is so good—especially those crusty edges. I've even included a stuffing to accompany Christmas prime rib.

All of these recipes serve eight and are made in their own pans. Pepper refers to fresh ground black and salt refers to kosher. (If you have iodized, throw it away!) The key to these recipes is the amount of stock you add. The bread will soak up most of the liquid, so you want to add enough—but not too much because then the dressing ends up a little soupy.

Traditional Dressing

• 1 cup pan drippings
• 2 cups, plus a little more, turkey/chicken/vegetable stock
• 8 cups bread (French) in 1/2 inch dice
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 T each chopped thyme/sage/ rosemary
• 1 cup butter
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Heat butter and drippings in large pan. Sauté onions, celery and herbs. Add bread and stock until wet. Season to taste. Place into casserole dish, cover and bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. Remove cover and bake 30 more minutes, or until top is crisp.

Pan drippings are the key. All the fat from the basting of the bird and caramel flavor from the pan add to the stuffing. If you don't have enough, just use more butter instead.

Oyster and Cornbread Dressing

• 9" x 9" pan of cornbread (make from mix in a box), torn into pieces
• 1 cup butter
• 24 oysters, shucked
• 2 cups andouille sausage, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 2 T garlic, minced
• 2 T shallot, minced
• 1 T jalapeño, minced
• 2 cups plus a little more chicken/turkey/ vegetable stock
• Cajun/Creole spice blend, as needed
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Heat butter in large pan. Add sausage, onion, pepper, celery, garlic, shallot and jalapeño; sauté well. Add the cornbread pieces, stock and oysters. Season and place into a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350°F for 60 minutes. Remove cover and bake 30 more minutes, or until top is crisp.

Prime Rib or Roast Dressing

• 1 loaf (8 cups) brioche bread, torn into small pieces
• 1 cup butter
• 2-3 cups, plus a little more, beef stock
• 1 cup carrot, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 T garlic, minced
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 cup prepared horseradish
• Dash Tabasco® sauce
• Dash Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Heat butter in large pan. Add carrot. Let cook about seven minutes, then add celery, onion, garlic, parsley and horseradish. Cook another ten minutes or so. Add the brioche. Add the stock and season with Tabasco®, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Transfer to casserole and bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, covered. Remove cover and bake 30 more minutes, or until top is crisp.