RECIPE: The Perfect Thanksgiving Dressing

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into ¼’s
1 lb Bread, diced into 1/2-inch cubes; try to use ½ French & ½ sourdough·         1 lb Italian sausage, ½ lb spicy & ½ lb sweet
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced
2/3 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, minced
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, finely minced
3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste; about tsp of each

Preheat oven to 275F. Place cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 30-45 minutes. Transfer bread to a very large bowl; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish. Remove outer casing from sausage. 

In a saute pan, melt 1 1/2 sticks butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery. Stir frequently until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl with bread.

In the same pan, cook the sausage until browned and cooked through. Break up sausage as it cooks. About 10 min. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.

In a bowl, whisk eggs. Add the parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, cranberries, salt, pepper, chicken broth. Whisk well to combine.

Pour ½ the mixture over the bread and toss lightly. Pour the remainder of the mix over bread and toss well to combine. Transfer dressing into prepared baking dish.

Cut the remaining half-stick of butter into 8 pieces and place them evenly over the top of. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, bake for an additional 25-40 min until top is as lightly golden brown. Serve immediately.