Sharon’s Favorite Sausage and Bread Stuffing with Golden Raisins

by: Three Many Cooks

Serves: 12 (unless Sharon—or someone like her—is at your table)

Ingredients

1 pound crusty Italian or French bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (10 to 12 cups)
2 cups fresh bread crumbs from a crusty French or Italian loaf (a food processor fitted with the steel blade works well)
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (or removed from casings)
2 medium-large onions, cut into medium dice
2 medium celery stalks (or 3 celery heart stalks) cut into medium dice (1 cup)
1½ cups golden raisins
⅓ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/ 4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium canned or cartoned chicken broth
2 large eggs

Instructions

Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a large rimmed cookie sheet and bread crumbs on a small rimmed cookie sheet; let dry several hours or overnight. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake bread cubes until toasty, 12 to 15 minutes. (Do not toast crumbs.) Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees
Meanwhile, heat butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it loses its raw color, about 5 minutes. Leaving sausage in skillet, add onions and celery; sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Mix bread, sautéed onions and celery, raisins, parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix broth and eggs; add to stuffing mixture and toss to coat.
Turn into a 3-quart greased baking dish (a 13- by 9-inch works well). Cover with foil and bake until steamy hot, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue to bake until top is crusty, about 10 minutes longer. Serve.