Stuffing goes wrong in exactly two directions. Too wet and it turns to porridge in the middle. Too dry and it is a tray of croutons. The gap between those is wider than people think, and hitting it comes down to how dry your bread is before anything liquid touches it.
Chef Frank Proto makes this one with browned breakfast sausage, a lot of butter, and rough-chopped onion and celery that stay visible in the finished dish. It bakes in a casserole rather than inside the bird.
The other reason to like this recipe: it is better on day two. You can build the whole thing ahead and take one dish off your Thanksgiving morning.
Stuffing or dressing?
Strictly speaking, stuffing is cooked inside the bird and dressing is cooked in a dish alongside it. This recipe is technically dressing.
Nobody outside of a cookbook makes that distinction, and it is not worth arguing about at the table. What does matter is that cooking it in a dish is better on both counts: a packed cavity slows the turkey down and adds real time to your roast, and a separate dish is the only way to get a crisp top.
What bread to use
A baguette is the safe choice because it is sturdy. It holds its shape once the stock goes in instead of collapsing into mush. Sourdough, rye and plain white bread all work too.
Leave the crust on. It adds flavor and it is part of what gives the finished dish its texture.
Day-old bread is already partway to where you need it. If you have two or three days, cube it and leave it out on a tray. If you do not, spread the cubes on a sheet pan and put them in a 200F to 250F oven until the moisture is gone.
You are looking for cubes that hold firm when you squeeze them and are loud when they land on the tray. Not soft anywhere. Bread that still has give will not survive the stock.
How much stock to add
Add half of it, mix, then wait. The bread keeps drinking for several minutes after you stop stirring, so whatever the bowl looks like right away is not where it ends up.
Give it five minutes, then judge. The cubes should be softened through but still holding their edges. Hard bread going into the oven stays hard. Swimming bread comes out as pudding.
Season the whole dish, not the sausage
Most breakfast sausage is already salted, so there is no need to add more while it browns. The bread is the bland part, and that is what needs seasoning. Salt and pepper go in when the bread, stock and sausage are all in the bowl together.
Making it ahead
Build it up to the point where it goes in the dish, cover it and refrigerate. The flavors settle and it tastes better for the wait. Bake it the day you serve it so the top is fresh and crisp.
Save the drippings from your roasting pan for gravy, and give the stuffing a spot on the plate where it can soak some up.
The rest of the Thanksgiving table
Stuffing is one part of it. Here is everything else on the table:
