Apple and Sausage Stuffing

When my husband and I remodeled our kitchen, the Dacor sales rep sent us a few recipes from their kitchen. I made it this year for Thanksgiving and it was awesome! Even my picky son (who hates everything) loved it! I have finally found the missing link to our holiday dinners! When I prepared this, I almost left out the apples because I thought the "picky one" would discover them and not try it. I decided to go ahead and include them and I am glad I did, they really make the recipe and the kids never even noticed them. Enjoy! One note: My sister made this and substituted the bread cubes with Cornbread stuffing crumbs and really liked it. If you use the french bread cubes, you should brown them in the oven for a little while on a cookie sheet, or leave them out for a few days to dry out.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  lb  bulk  spicy pork sausage
• 1  cup celery, diced
• 1  cup onion, diced
• 1  cup apple, cored, diced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2  teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
• 1  bay leaf
• 8  cups  French bread cubes
• 1  cup milk
• 1  cup  chicken stock
• 3  large eggs, beaten to blend
• 2  tablespoons butter, melted
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and sauté until cooked through and brown, cutting into small pieces with a spatula as it cooks. Transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl.
3. Place the celery, onion, apple, garlic, and herbs in the skillet, and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the sautéed mixture and the french bread cubes to the sausage.
4. In a separate blow, whisk together the milk, broth, eggs and butter. Pour into bowl with stuffing mixture. Gently fold milk mixture into the stuffing mix. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the stuffing to the greased baking dish. Bake uncovered until cooked through and brown, about 25 minutes.