Apple, Sausage, Parsnip and Fresh Sage Stuffing ……………
Serves 12
350g loaf sliced bread with crust, made into breadcrumbs
700g medium spicy sausage meat (casing removed)
4 onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
150g butter, divided
700g red apples, unpeeled, cored, cubed
500g parsnips, peeled, chopped into 1cm cubes
1/3 cup packed fresh sage leaves
120ml chicken stock
Finely chop the fresh sage.
Sauté the sausage meat in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until cooked through, breaking into pieces with spoon. Allow around 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl. Add the breadcrumbs.
Add the chopped onions and celery to the frying pan and sauté until golden brown, Transfer to the bowl containing the sausage meat and bread.
Melt one third of the butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add the apples and sauté until tender. This will take around 5 minutes. Mix the apples into the stuffing. Melt another third of the butter in same frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the parsnips and sauté until golden. Allow about 10 minutes for this. Mix into the stuffing. Melt the remaining third of the butter in the same frying pan. Add the sage and sauté until dark green – allow 2 minutes. Mix the sage and butter into stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.
Butter a lasagne baking dish. Stuff the neck end of the turkey. Put the remaining stuffing into the baking dish and drizzle with the chicken stock. Cover with foil.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / Gas 4. Bake the stuffing covered until fully heated through (allow 1 hour for this). Then remove the foil and bake until the stuffing is beginning to brown. Serve with glazed apples.
