Let’s all be honest with ourselves, stuffing is clearly the star of every Thanksgiving meal. Forget about the turkey, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole. That crunchy, custardy soft, savory, breaded goodness really deserves to show it’s glorious face more than one time a year. This sourdough stuffing with sausage, leeks, and mushrooms will have you craving it all year long, and why deny yourself of such lovely pleasures?

Tangy sourdough bread, sage breakfast sausage, buttery leeks, celery, meaty chanterelle and king trumpet mushrooms, and loads of fresh, savory herbs make this the perfect companion to your Thanksgiving turkey. But it also makes a killer breakfast topped with a perfectly fried egg and a hot cup of coffee. It’s the breakfast of champions! Or eat it cold, straight out of the refrigerator, while no one is looking- also delicious! Have I revealed too much about myself? Just make this stuffing, it’s good stuff.

Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage, Leeks, and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

12 1/2 C sourdough bread, torn into bite sized pieces

1 lb breakfast sausage, bulk or removed from casings

2 Tbsp poultry seasoning

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 1/2 C leeks, sliced thin and rinsed

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt + 1 pinch

1/2 C dry white wine, I used Sauvignon Blanc

2 C celery, sliced thin

5 1/2 oz chanterelle mushrooms, torn into bite size pieces

3 1/2 oz king trumpet mushrooms, medium sized dice

1/3 C parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

pepper

3 eggs

3 C low sodium chicken broth

Place bread pieces on a large baking sheet and let sit out for 24-48 hours to dry out. Alternatively, you can dry out the bread in the oven at 275 degrees for about 45 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure the bread dries evenly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 9 x 12” baking dish.

Place dried bread in a large mixing bowl. Add sausage and 1 Tbsp of poultry seasoning to a large frying pan and brown over medium-medium high heat. Once browned, add to bread.

Melt 3 Tbsp of butter in the pan that the sausage was browned in. Add leeks and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat until the leeks are translucent and soft. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 C dry white wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. When the wine has cooked off, add the celery and season with a pinch of salt. Cook the celery for 3-5 minutes until softened. Add leeks and celery to bread and sausage mixture.

Melt remaining 3 Tbsp of butter in the pan. Add mushrooms and herbs, stirring to coat everything completely. Cook for 7-10 minutes until the mushrooms are soft and have browned. Once browned, season with 1/2 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 C dry white wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add mushrooms to the bread mixture.

The stuffing mixture can be made the day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to bake.

The day of serving, whisk eggs, chicken stock, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning in a large bowl. Pour over bread mixture and toss to combine. Transfer everything to the buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes covered, then increase the the temperature to 425 degrees, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the top is crispy and browned around the edges.