Roasted Butternut & Sausage Dressing

R

Roasted Butternut &

Sausage Dressing

"Roasted Butternut squash with sweet Italian sausage, fennel, onion, apple & garlic tossed with homemade oatmeal bread croutons, soaked in olive oil, butter, rich chicken broth & finished with Parmesan cheese & nutmeg"

Ingredients

1 quart chicken broth

1/3 cup cranberries

Croutons

1 pound (16 oz) oatmeal bread slices, crusts removed. Should weigh 1 pound after crusts are removed.

1/4 cup melted, cooled butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large eggs, whisked

Chicken broth

1 small Butternut squash

Parchment paper

Salt

Sautéed Mixture

Large non stick pan

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ cups medium dice, onion

1 cup medium chop, fennel bulb

1 cup medium dice, apple

4-5 ounces ground, mild Italian sausage, broke into pieces, formed into irregular balls

Salt & pepper

5 large cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon rubbed sage

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 heaping tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup pecans

1 ounce finely grated, Parmesan cheese

Fresh nutmeg

1 large egg

2 tablespoons chicken broth

Pastry brush

Olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Italian parsley

Directions

Pour the broth into a large sauce pan and reduce to half (2 cups).

Soak the dried cranberries in a small bowl with 2-3 tablespoons of hot water to plump up. Drain.

Croutons

Slice the bread into large, bite size cubes and spread out onto a large baking sheet. Toast in the center of oven at 375F until golden, flipping over with a fish spatula half way through. About 15-20 minutes.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Peel, cut off the ends, cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Cut widthwise segments into about a 3/4 inch thickness.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, arrange the slices on top and season both sides with salt. Roast in the center of oven at 425F until fork tender. About 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Sautéed Mixture

Add the butter to pan and heat over medium high temp. Once hot and the onion, fennel and apple. Break the sausage over the top, reduce to medium temp and sauté

until mix start to soften. Turn the garlic over and remove, once browned nicely. Season with salt & pepper and add the herbs. Remove from heat. Chop the garlic, add back and mix.

Note: Amount of broth to be added will depend on how dry they become in oven.

In a large mixing bowl, lightly season croutons with salt & pepper (few pinches). Drizzle over ¼ cup cooled, melted butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the 2 eggs and 3/4-1 cup of cooled broth and toss with hands until moistened but not soaked. Add the sautéed mixture, pecans, cranberries, Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and toss with hands until mixed well. Pour into a buttered & olive oiled 5 quart baking dish and arrange desired amount of Butternut squash on top.

Whisk the egg and 2 tablespoons of broth and brush all over the top, brushing out any eggy areas. Drizzle with olive oil then gently press with palms of your hands to lightly compact.

Bake 375F oven until edges are bubbling and top is browned. About 25 minutes. Remove from oven, grate Parmesan over the top, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Serves 6-8