Image by Daxiang Stef
Regionally known as stuffing, filling, and dressing, this bread-based side dish is a staple at the American holiday table. If you’ve never made your own stuffing, step away from the Stove Top canister and give this a try. It’s a departure from traditional stuffing recipes in that it uses breadcrumbs instead of bread cubes, but your guests won’t miss the extra bulk. When I was tasked with preparing the family Thanksgiving dinner at the tender age of 19, I served this stuffing, and it became an instant family classic.

Sage and Onion Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 onions, diced
• 4 whole cloves
• 6 whole peppercorns
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 cups finely ground plain bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large sautee pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to color. Add cloves and peppercorns; sautee for one minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, add water, and simmer until onions are soft but not mushy. Strain onion mixture, reserving liquid.

Combine onions, bread crumbs, sage, and chicken broth in a large bowl, stirring until thoroughly combined. Stuffing should be moist enough to form a ball if compressed; if it is too dry, add the reserved onion broth. Turn mixture out into a shallow baking pan (do not pack down) and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 4.