Sage and Sausage Dressing

The herb that defines the American holiday: torn bread baked with browned pork sausage, onion, celery, and a great deal of sage, moistened with stock and baked until crisp on top and savoury within, the smell of Thanksgiving itself

Origin: New England, United States

From the journey of Sage.

If one herb is the taste of the American Thanksgiving, it is sage. Carried across the Atlantic in the English sage and onion stuffing, sage became, in the New World, the defining flavour of the country's greatest feast, the herb in the dressing, the gravy, and the breakfast sausage that, more than the turkey itself, says 'autumn' and 'holiday' to tens of millions of Americans. This sausage version, baked in a dish beside the bird rather than inside it (which is why Americans often call it 'dressing' rather than 'stuffing'), is the most beloved form: torn bread enriched with browned pork sausage and the 'holy trinity' of onion and celery, bound with stock and egg, and seasoned with a generous, unapologetic quantity of sage. Crisp on top and soft within, it is the dish people fight over the leftovers of.

Ingredients

400 g day-old white or sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and dried
400 g pork sausagemeat (or sausages, skins removed)
2 onions, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
60 g butter
4 tbsp fresh sage, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried rubbed sage)
400 ml chicken or turkey stock, hot
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
0.5 tsp black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan / 350°F). If the torn bread is not already stale, spread it on a tray and dry it in the oven for 10 minutes; it should be dry but not coloured.
Brown the sausagemeat in a large pan, breaking it into small pieces, until cooked and golden. Lift it out, leaving the fat, and set aside.
Add the butter to the pan and cook the onion and celery gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft. Stir in the chopped sage and cook for a further minute.
In a large bowl, combine the dried bread, browned sausage, and the onion-celery-sage mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the hot stock and the beaten eggs and fold gently until evenly moistened.
Tip into a buttered baking dish, dot the top with a little butter, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until crisp and golden on top and set within.
Serve hot alongside roast turkey or chicken, with gravy and cranberry sauce.

Notes

Endless variations exist: cornbread in place of the white bread (the Southern style), with the addition of chestnuts, dried cranberries, apple, or pecans. The constant is the sage, used generously. Make sure the bread is properly dry and the dressing well seasoned. It can be assembled a day ahead and baked on the day.

The Gastrographer

Name: Sage and Sausage Dressing
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 400 g day-old white or sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized pieces and dried; 400 g pork sausagemeat (or sausages, skins removed); 2 onions, finely chopped; 3 stalks celery, finely chopped; 60 g butter; 4 tbsp fresh sage, chopped (or 2 tbsp dried rubbed sage); 400 ml chicken or turkey stock, hot; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control