Sausage & Mushroom Dressing

A must on our holiday table is a dressing to enjoy our turkey with. This year I decided on this Sausage & Mushroom Dressing. Sage pork sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and mushrooms add lots of texture and flavor in this hearty and satisfying dressing. It's perfect with turkey or as a side to your favorite main entree and even better is that I made this using gluten free bread!...

Finding the right bread to use in a dressing recipe is always a challenge for me since I'm gluten free. In the past, I've used my usual gluten free bread, toast it or dry it out completely and then focus on seasoning the broth and adding aromatics so I can infuse some flavor. This year, the folks of Canyon Bakehouse helped me out by sending me a few samples to play with.

For this recipe, I used the Canyon Bakehouse Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia. After toasting and drying cubes of the bread, I used it in the recipe in place of the sourdough reflected below. It came out well and guests enjoyed it too. I would probably reduce the amount of liquid next time if using gluten free bread since the bread got a bit too soggy in some places. But overall, it was very good. As for the other Canyon Bakehouse gluten free products, they are certainly good and I've been enjoying their Mountain White sandwich bread for everyday sandwiches. 

Sausage & Mushroom Dressing
recipe from New York Magazine

2 tablespoons butter
11/2 pounds of sage pork sausage
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 pound sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 10 cups) 
3 to 4 cups turkey or chicken broth 
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh marjoram

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a skillet, add the sausage, break into pieces, and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, garlic, celery, and a pinch of salt, and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes.

Place the bread in a large bowl and stir in the sausage mixture. Add 3 cups broth and marjoram and mix well (if the mixture is still dry, add a little more broth). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Butter a 9-by-11-inch baking dish and transfer the stuffing to the dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for about 45 minutes, until the top is crispy and brown.