Recipe: Sausage-Potato Stuffing (using Italian sausage and mashed potatoes)

SAUSAGE-POTATO STUFFING

4 Italian pork sausage links (casings removed)
1/2 roll (about 6 ounces) of pork sausage
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
6 ounces Cremini or similar mushrooms, sliced
1 12 tsp. each of dried sage, thyme, and oregano
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
5 pounds potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed

Combine sausage meat in a large bowl and break up with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, add oil and saute onion, celery, and mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Season to taste with, fresh or dried sage, thyme, and oregano. Add meat mixture and cook over medium heat until sausage is cooked and lightly browned. Drain excess fat.

Add beaten egg and the chicken broth to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Add the meat /vegetable mixture to the potatoes. Mix well (a potato masher is helpful for this) and refrigerate. If using to stuff a turkey, chill thoroughly before filling the bird.

IF BAKING ON THE SIDE (RECOMMENDED), PROCEED AS FOLLOWS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the dressing in a large covered casserole for 1 hour. Remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes to brown the top.

VARIATIONS:
Add finely chopped walnuts, grated carrots, golden raisins, or chopped apples to the vegetable mixture.

ABOUT THE RECIPE:
"In our family, holiday turkey always means dressing made with mashed potatoes instead of bread. The original recipe was passed on to me not only by my mother but also by my mother-in-law. Whoever would have guessed that my husband's mom and my mom (both of Italian parents) would serve this French Canadian-inspired dressing as their traditional holiday recipe? They had each been given the recipe by their mothers in law. Until I met my husband, I didn't know anyone else who'd had this stuffing. Fate must have brought us together. Holiday dinners now include our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren, and we all look forward to "our stuffing." It is our connection to family members who came before us, and I hope this dish will continue to appear at the Thanksgiving dinners of my future great grandchildren." - Barbara Beaudion, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Makes 10-12 servings
Source: A Cup of Comfort Cookbook by Jay Weinstein and Colleen Sell