Everyone has a different opinion on the best way to make turkey stuffing: cooked inside the turkey? Outside the turkey? White bread? Cornbread? Onions and celery? Sausage? Since our preferences are most likely based in nostalgia, my favorite stuffing is made with regular bread and cooked inside the turkey, sicne that’s the way my mom and grandma made it every Thanksgiving. I personally find that stuffing cooked in a pan always tastes like it has something missing, that the flavor is less complex. But I’m always willing to try something new, so when Cook’s Illustrated published several variations on pan stuffing in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue, I was intrigued.
This version of pan stuffing imparts turkey flavor by first searing turkey wings and then baking the stuffing with the wings on top, allowing the juices from the meat to soak into the bread. Although this adds an extra step and a few more dirty dishes, it’s completely worth it for the end result of pan stuffing that actually tastes like turkey! Which opens up the possibility to cook my very favorite Thanksgiving staple whenever I want and not be restricted to times when I can manage to cook an entire turkey. *insert gleeful laugh here*
The primary recipe in the magazine was made with sausage, but since I’m not really a fan of sausage in my stuffing but am quite fond of leeks, this variation that also included apples and bacon sounded like an excellent alternative. And what do you know, I think I may now actually prefer (this) pan stuffing to any other stuffing I’ve eaten – and that’s saying a lot. :)
Rats In Teacups 