Sourdough Stuffing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Tear bread into medium sized bread cubes (about 1-inch cubes) and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toast the bread in the oven on the top rack for 10-15 minutes, until hardened and slightly golden brown. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

While the bread toasts, cook the sausage. Add sausage to a large skillet over medium heat. Then add diced onions and celery and continue to cook down until sausage is thoroughly cooked and onions have softened. Season with salt and pepper. Then add fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and cook until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and chicken broth. In a separate bowl, combine toasted bread, sausage and onion mixture, pecans and dried cranberries. Gently fold everything together then begin pouring in the egg and chicken broth mixture – one cup at a time, tossing between each addition. The bread should be moist, not wet/drenched.

Pour melted butter on top and toss to coat. Generously season with salt and pepper as the dry bread tends to soak up a lot of the flavor.

Spray a casserole dish with oil or rub with butter. Add bread mixture into the dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes uncovered.