Countdown to Thanksgiving: Dressing (Don't Call It Stuffing!)

Countdown to Thanksgiving: Dressing (Don't Call It Stuffing!)

Dressing, yes dressing, not stuffing because we’re not going to stuff anything inside our turkey except for some aromatics and herbs to flavor the bird. Right? Perhaps I’m channeling Alton Brown here, but that’s only because he’s so absolutely correct. To quote Brown from Good Eats: The Early Years, “When it comes to turkey, Stuffing Is Evil. That's because stuffing goes into the middle of the bird and is extremely porous. That means that as the turkey around it cooks, juices that may contain salmonella bacteria soak into the stuffing, which then must be cooked to a minimum of 165°F in order to be safe. Getting the stuffing to this temperature usually means overcooking the turkey.”

I agree so wholeheartedly because I’ve fallen victim to the problem of stuffing in the past and am happy to say I haven’t stuffed a bread-based substance into a turkey’s cavity in years. Why would anyone want potentially hazardous stuffing or an overcooked bird? We’ll talk turkey roasting in another installment of Countdown to Thanksgiving. Today, let’s make some delicious dressing, and if you want to call it stuffing at your Thanksgiving meal, that’s between you and your guests, because I know they’ll love these dishes regardless of the name.

We’ll begin with something local and beloved by many New Englanders and that’s an Oyster Dressing. What’s nice about this dressing is you can make it from mostly local ingredients for those trying to achieve a local Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a rich and flavorful dressing, and of course great for oyster lovers.

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Following the Oyster Dressing recipe is one of my all-time favorite dressings, something I learned in the South: Wild Rice, Cornbread and Andouille Dressing. The wild rice gives a nice bite and I recommend making your own cornbread ahead of time to crumble (if you’re in need of a recipe, leave a comment below). If you can’t get andouille sausage, you can substitute another type of smoked sausage.

Oyster Dressing

Ingredients:
6 cups bread, cubed (a locally made baguette would yield about 6 cups)
½ pound bacon, chopped (Hill Farm and Pat’s Pastured offer local bacon)
2 Tbs butter
1 large onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 bay leaf
½ cup poultry stock
½ cup white wine (if you prefer no wine, use 1 cup total poultry stock instead)
1 lb. fresh shucked oysters, chopped, liquor reserved (Matunuck Oyster Farm is at most Winter Farmers Markets)
¼ cup parsley, chopped
¼ cup thyme, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Procedure:
Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

Spread bread cubes on a cookie sheet and toast for approximately 10 minutes, turning the cubes once, until they are golden brown.

In a large skillet over medium heat, render the bacon until crispy and set aside. Melt the butter. Add onion and celery and sauté for about 10 minutes or until translucent.

Add the stock, wine and bay leaf and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chopped oysters with their liquor and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

In a large bowl combine the oyster mixture with the toasted bread cubes, herbs, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

 

Wild Rice, Cornbread and Andouille Stuffing

Ingredients:
1 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ cup white wine
4 cups cornbread, crumbled
½ lb andouille sausage, casing removed, crumbled and cooked
3/4 cup wild rice, cooked
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup poultry stock

Procedure:

Prepare wild rice as directed. I recommend simmering in poultry stock with a pinch of salt. Some wild rices require a 2:1 ratio of stock to rice, some 3:1 and can require pre-rinsing the rice and up to 60 minutes of cooking time.

Pre-heat oven to 350° F.

In a large skillet over medium heat, render the sausage until browned and set aside. Melt the butter. Add onions, celery, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and sauté for about 10 minutes or until translucent. Add wine and cook down. Remove skillet from heat.

In a large bowl combine the cornbread, cooked sausage, cooked vegetables, cooked rice, eggs, stock, and remaining salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes.