An herbaceous sausage and brioche stuffing we think you should make for your holiday feast this year

Stuffing is serious business. People have strong feelings about whether it’s even a stuffing if it’s not stuffed into a bird, and no one wants to run out of this favourite side at the holiday meal. Outside of that, there are a million recipes to choose from (dare you stray from your aunt’s), and we’re adding a very strong contender to the mix. Because with brioche as the base, a distinctly flavoured sausage and a healthy mix of all the right herbs, this is a traditional, yet far from boring stuffing, that we think you’ll be proud to serve beside the other dishes on feast day.

Brioche and Sausage Stuffing Bake

Ingredients

• 10 cups brioche, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 4 honey garlic sausage
• 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 ½ cups leek, washed and sliced
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp rosemary, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp tarragon, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp thyme, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup chicken stock

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 250F degrees and arrange your brioche over two baking sheets in a single layer. Transfer to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and toasted. Give the tray a shake halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven up to 350F.

Make a slit lengthwise down each sausage, remove the meat and discard the casing. Tear the sausage meat into bite-sized chunks. Heat a large, oven-safe, heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and sausage to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and set aside.

Add the celery, carrots, leeks and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, tarragon, thyme and grainy Dijon mustard to the pot and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the white wine to the pan to deglaze; sauté until the liquid has entirely evaporated. Turn off the heat and allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl whisk the egg. In a large bowl add the cooled sautéed vegetables, browned sausage and toasted brioche, and stir to combine. Pour the whisked egg and chicken stock over the mixed stuffing and stir again. Transfer everything to your baking dish and cover with foil. Using a fork, poke holes into the foil to allow steam to escape. Transfer to the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil from the baking dish, give everything a good stir and bake the stuffing uncovered for an additional 35 minutes, until the top layer is crispy. Serve immediately.