Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing (Chestnuts)

Sautéing the ingredients the night before saves time, and allows the flavours to meld. This recipe, which calls for bacon, porcini, and chestnuts in addition to the usual onion, celery, and herbs, defies mediocrity without abandoning familiar flavours.

1 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1½ cups water, boiling hot
½ lb slab bacon, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, rinsed well and finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped (1½ cups)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¾ lb sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
liver from turkey, coarsely chopped
5 cups white bread, cubed, crustless and dried overnight
2 cups chestnuts, coarsely chopped and peeled
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1½ cups Giblet Stock
coarse sea salt
black pepper, freshly cracked

Combine porcini with boiling water, and let soak for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate, reserving drippings in skillet. Add onion, leek, celery and garlic to skillet and cook until translucent and tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain porcini, reserving 1 cup soaking liquid. Coarsely chop porcini and add to skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to plate with bacon.

Heat oil in same skillet. Add sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned, about 7 minutes. Add liver and cook until browned, about 2 minutes.  Add to bacon mixture. Let cool. (Mixture can be refrigerated overnight; bring to room temperature before using.)

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Combine bacon mixture, bread, chestnuts and thyme. Pour stock and reserved porcini soaking liquid over the top. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Let stand for 10 minutes, allowing bread to soak up liquid.

Transfer stuffing to turkey cavity and follow directions in Roasted Brined Turkey, being sure to cook stuffing until its temperature registers 165°F, place remaining stuffing in an 8" square baking dish, cover if desired, and bake until heated through, 35-40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 9 cups.

Cook's Note:  If you forget to leave the bread on the counter overnight to dry, toast it in an oven heated to 200°F (95°C) for 30 minutes. This recipe makes a generous amount of stuffing. If the entire batch doesn't fit (loosely packed) inside the turkey, bake the leftovers in a separate dish.