Sage and sausage stuffing

 We've been making this stuffing for several years now.  From Serious Eats.  *

We've made it n the crockpot to take as part of a big family dinner but we also have put in under a spatch-cocked turkey too.  

a lot of bread, torn into small pieces, 5 quarts total (usually use a white bread, cornbread, and sourdough)

1 stick of butter plus more for the inside of the crockpot

1 lbs cooked breakfast sausage

2 cups finely diced onion

2 cups finely chopped celery

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 tsp dried or 1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped

salt and pepper

1 quart chicken stock

3 eggs

1/4 cup chopped parsley, divided

Dry the bread in the oven in two baking sheets at 275 for a total of 50 minutes, staggering and rotating the pans so everything is dried evenly

In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and wait until the foam dissolves, do not let it brown

Add in the sausage over medium high heat in a large pan making sure to break up the sausage well, you don't want big pieces

Add in your onion, celery, garlic, and sage and cook about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft (yes, future self.  Put the garlic and sage in.  It will not burn if you cook it that long)

Remove from the heat and add half of the stock

Stir the remaining stock with the eggs,  half of the parsley, 1 tsp of salt**, 1/2 tsp black pepper***

Carefully stir the egg mixture into the sausage mixture so you don't cook the eggs

Add in your bread and fold to combine

Line the inside of your crockpot with a little butter and then pour in the stuffing

Cook covered on low for about 5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 155

Top with remaining parsely

* There are TWO different stuffing recipes on the SE website with two different quantities of several ingredients.  I think I say this each and every year too.  This year I am using the high quantity or bread and stock but less eggs and cook it in the crockpot instead.   If I'm wrong, I will come back and change it.

**When we use our own broth, it does not have salt in it.  We added in maybe a tbs or more.  Taste before putting it in the crockpot.

***Again, personal preference but we like a lot of black pepper.  We probably added more.

Update 2024-

It may be because our crockpot is super old but it keeps burning an entire side on the bottom.  Future self, please try to use the oven if you can.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes covered with foil and then uncovered for 15-20 more minutes until golden brown

The internal temperature should be at least 150 when you take the top off