Sam’s Cornbread Dressing
Sam’s Cornbread Dressing
In the South, where I grew up, we call stuffing “dressing,” and there’s only one way to make it for the holiday table: with cornbread. Here’s my take on a Southern classic that I’ve fine-tuned over the last 20 years or so. You can always omit the sausage and substitute vegetable broth to make it vegetarian, but I don’t recommend it! The following cornbread recipe is not great by itself, but is perfect as the foundation for this savory mountain of goodness.
Unsweetened Cornbread
Butter an 8” or 9” square pan, and pre-heat oven to 400.
Combine in a big mixing bowl:
1 Cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 Cup white or yellow cornmeal (fine)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Combine in another vessel:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Cup buttermilk
4 Tbsp melted butter (or 1/3 vegetable oil)
Mix dry and wet ingredients, then turn into buttered pan. Bake at 400 for 22 minutes.
Turn the cornbread out onto a cutting board, and let cool for a few minutes. Slice the whole thing in half vertically, so it’s like two big halves of a sandwich. Slice the cornbread into ½” cubes, and dump into a huge mixing bowl. Set aside.
Dressing
3 Tbsp oil (safflower or similar)
1 lb bulk pork breakfast sausage
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Onion, chopped into ¼” dice
3 Stalks celery, chopped into ¼” dice
8 oz Cremini or button mushrooms, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp Fresh Sage, minced + ½ Tbsp dry sage (or more if you really like sage)
¾ tsp Sea Salt
Freshly-ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Cup Chicken stock or broth
½ Can black olives, roughly chopped
Heat a big ol’ pan with a bit of oil, and add the sausage. Stir around to break it up and so it doesn’t stick, until cooked, but not browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the rest of the oil and butter to the pan, and set over medium-high heat. Sautee the vegetables with the seasonings until soft, about 6-8 minutes. (Note: I usually add a couple of finely chopped cloves of garlic here too.)
Return sausage to pan with the vegetables, add the chicken stock, and cook it all until heated through, 1-2 minutes. Pour all of this over the cornbread cubes, scraping the pan with a spatula to make sure you get all the good stuff. Add the black olives, and toss it all together gently until it is evenly moist.
Transfer into a large pot or Dutch oven, and cover. When you’re ready to serve, stick it in a 325 degree oven to reheat until it’s warmed through. If it looks dry, pour a little broth over it before reheating. Of course, you can stuff a turkey or chicken with this too if that’s your thing – just don’t put it in there until right before you’re ready to throw the bird in the oven!