For me, Christmas is about Mum’s stuffing. I can take or leave most of Christmas dinner (and do not get me started on the idiocy of having a roast meal in the middle of an Australian summer) but Mum’s stuffing was always the best bit. She made lots of it because my sister and I insisted that we needed more for boxing day and the days after.
Obviously, you can use this stuffing for the Christmas turkey, a Sunday roast chicken or make stuffing balls with it. I like to make it in a pan so it can be sliced at a later stage for stuffing sandwiches. It freezes really well too.
Do buy the best quality pork sausages you can afford, ideally from a good butcher. Some supermarkets (like Waitrose) sells packs of sausage mince which are not bad but really good sausages are your best option.
Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
500g of the best pork sausages you can afford (skins removed)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 garlic clove
1 tbls butter
3 tlbs milk
2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs (I just blitz some stale white bread)
1 egg, beaten
4 leaves of finely chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
A glug of Worcestershire sauce
Chopped fresh parsley (about 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
1. Heat the butter gently in a frying pan and add the onions, celery & crushed garlic. Saute over a low heat until the onions and celery are soft. Set aside to cool.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of milk to the breadcrumbs. It helps make the stuffing moist.
3. Throw everything in a bowl (including any butter left in the frying pan) and mix well. Sage is a really strong flavour so do reduce the amount you use if you want to.
4. Place the mixture into a shallow dish (abt 3 cms deep) and press to even the top of the stuffing out. Do not pack the mixture too tightly otherwise the stuffing can feel heavy.
5. Run a fork over the top to make lots of lovely ridges to crisp up in the oven.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes at 180 degrees (160 fan) until all the sausage meat is cooked.