Sausage and Pear Stuffing

Firm pears such as Bosc or Anjou stand up well to baking and make a delicious foil for Italian sausage in this sweet-and-savoury stuffing.

1 loaf day-old rustic bread, dark, hard crusts removed and bread cut into ½" cubes (~ 12 cups)
1 stick butter, cut into pieces, plus more for baking dish
1½ large onions, chopped (~ 3 cups)
2 small leeks, trimmed, thinly sliced into half-moons and rinsed well (~ 3 cups)
3 stalks celery, chopped (~ 1 ¼ cups)
1 large fennel bulb, chopped (~ 2 cups)
12-14 oz firm-ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, chopped (~ 3 cups from 3 pears)
coarse se salt
black pepper, freshly ground
2 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups Easy Turkey Stock
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Spread bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crisped but not golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool. In a 14" straight-sided skillet (or 2 large skillets), melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, leeks, celery, fennel and pears; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and pears are softened and start to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in rosemary and sage.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally and breaking into large crumbles, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Stir into vegetable mixture, then transfer to a large bowl. Add bread cubes and toss well.

Drizzle stock over mixture, add eggs and parsley, and toss to combine well. Season with 2 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper. Use 10 cups stuffing to fill bird; place remainder in a buttered 8" square baking dish. After turkey is out of oven, bake until heated through and top is browned, about 40-45 minutes.

Makes enough for 8 servings.