The best Stuffing/Dressing recipe

Okay, T-day in about a month...Here's real debate material!

There is a raging debate on the best way to make dressing/stuffing...I go with the old fashioned kind that doesn't have apples or raisins.  I also don't go for the sausage.  I've read some recipes that have oysters and don't go there either.   Although the best variation on stuffing/dressing I ever made was with sliced sauteed almonds and day old potato bread. My guests were fighting over who was going to lick the casserole dish.  I've never been able to recreate it because I didn't write down how I made it, I did the variation from a book.  Ahhh, the problem of not being able to stick to a recipe.

Time to defend your age old stuffing tradition and if you want to, include the recipe.

i make this one, except without cloves & nutmeg (strange?!), and without eggs since i do not bake it, and with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. no fruit or nut additions. very buttery, melts in your mouth.... always gets compliments from others & i love it too.

http://joyofcooking2006.com/recipe.lasso?menu =one&recipe=1195

I don't use a set recipe. I just mix bread cubes with celery, wild mushrooms, and onions sauteed in butter.  Then I season it with sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, and add veggie broth until it all comes together.  Then I bake it in a casserole dish.  (I don't do the turkey thing.)  The best part about my stuffing is that it's a mix of all the breads I eat all summer and fall.  I just put the ends of each loaf of bread into the freezer and save them for stuffing.  It ends up a mixture of lots of different whole grain breads, corn bread, potato bread, challah, french bread, and whatever else comes through the kitchen.  

Our family recipe can use the giblets, chopped, but not always since not everybody in the family likes them.  It's very simple - no frills.

Saute lots of chopped onions and celery in butter (must be butter and don't skimp - this is not lo cal) until soft. Add some finely minced garlic and cook for just a minute.  Add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper to this to taste, keeping in mind that it has to season a large bowl of stuffing (which my family always calls "filling" for some reason.)  This part makes the whole house smell like Thanksgiving.

Get regular white bread, unsliced.  Cut it into thick slices, then into cubes and let them sit in a wide bowl overnight to dry out a little.

Beat eggs into the onion mixture and add cooled home made turkey stock.  Add lots of fresh minced parsley.  Fold this into the bread without squashing it too much, and let it sit to soak up the liquid.  To taste for seasoning, cook a little bit in a small frying pan. 

Either stuff the turkey or bake it in a baking dish to cut in squares.  One aunt rolls it into balls and bakes them so each one has a nice brown crust. 

These all sound so good....  I have sage growing right by my front door.  I need to grab some before it freezes.

By the way, the family concensus is "DO NOT MESS WITH THE STUFFING"  Hoots of derision are heard if some gourmet tries to put in chestnuts or apples.

As I'm English, we folk do not have thanksgiving but I do however LOVE stuffing and I make it every year at Christmas.

Stuffing Balls- Sage & Onion

Lean Pork sausage meat
Finely Chopped onion
Fresh Sage
Breadcrumbs
Beaten Egg
Salt & Pepper

Sautee Onion until soft and allow to cool. Mix together sausage meat and seasonings in a big bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Add onions. Roll up chunks of the mixture into 'meatballs' and coat in flour. Quickly brown the outsides of the balls and finish off in the oven until cooked (approx 20 mins). Serve alongside your turkey and veggies!

Using the same method, the above recipe is delicious with the following combinations:

Wild mushroom, tarragon & Walnut.

Cranberry, Rosemary & Orange