Cornbread, Sausage, and Pecan Dressing

Ingredients for Cornbread, Sausage, and Pecan Dressing

• 170g (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish

• 450g day-old cornbread, broken into 1 1/2"-2" pieces (2150ml )

• 450g breakfast sausage links, casings removed

• 400g chopped yellow onions

• 350ml 1/4" slices celery

• 60ml apple cider vinegar

• 725ml low-sodium chicken broth, divided

• 300ml chopped toasted pecans (optional)

• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 large eggs

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 121°C. Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish; set aside. Scatter cornbread in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, stirring often and rotating sheets halfway through, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up into 1/2"-1" pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to bowl with cornbread but do not stir.

Heat 170g butter in same skillet; add onions and celery and cook, stirring often, until softened and just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to cornbread in bowl.

Return skillet to heat. Add vinegar; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, for 1 minute. Pour into bowl with cornbread. Gently fold in 1 1/2 cups broth, pecans, if using, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Add salt and pepper. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 177°C. Whisk 350ml broth and eggs in a small bowl. Fold gently into cornbread until thoroughly combined, taking care not to mash cornbread (mixture will look wet). Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instantread thermometer inserted into the centre of dressing registers 71°C, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Uncover; let cool. Cover and chill.

Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10-15 minutes).

Disclaimer

While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate and up to date, individual needs may vary and dietary requirements can differ based on personal health conditions. Always check food labels and allergen information before preparing or consuming any recipe. If you have specific health concerns, allergies, intolerances, or are following a medically prescribed diet, seek advice from your GP, pharmacist, or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet or lifestyle.