Bread Stuffing with Bacon, Apples, Sage, and Caramelized Onions
November 12, 2009 posted by Linda Avery
by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen
from The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010
(America’s Test Kitchen, 2009)
Makes about 12 cups
To make the stuffing, you’ll need to dry the bread. Spread the bread cubes out onto 2 large baking sheets and dry in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 30 to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool before using in the stuffing.—Editors at America’s Test Kitchen
convert Ingredients
1 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
6 medium onions, sliced thin (about 7 cups)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 pounds high-quality white sandwich bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
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Method
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook the onions until golden in color, making sure to stir occasionally and scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring more often to prevent burning, until the onions are deep golden brown, another 5 minutes. Add the apples and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl.
3. Add the parsley, sage, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper to the bowl and mix to combine. Add the bread cubes.
4. Whisk the broth and eggs together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Gently toss to distribute the ingredients. Once the stuffing is evenly coated, use it with your favorite roast turkey recipe.
Recipe © 2009 by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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I made this recipe (originally from Cooks Illustrated) a few years ago, and it is definitely one of the best stuffings I’ve ever made. How can you go wrong with carmelized onions and a pound of bacon!
We were guests at friends’ for Thanksgiving, so we didn’t have to do any of the heavy-lifting cooking. I was asked to bring a stuffing (a dressing, really, since it had to be cooked outside of the turkey), and I chose this one. It was a hit. My only problem was proportion. The recipe says to use three pounds of bread, which I did. But I cut up all three loaves and ended up with 19 cups of cubes. So I used just 12, as the recipe states. Different breads, even from the same manufacturer (I used Pepperidge Farms), can weigh the same but have different volume. The supermarket had only two sandwich loaves left, so for the third loaf I reached for a white bread, which was almost 1/3 smaller than the other two. Be forewarned: Use only 12 cups of cubes for maximum flavor.