Part of what I most appreciate about this recipe is that it freezes well.  We can’t use the entire recipe at once, but I can put some in a foil pan and then cook it directly from frozen.  We enjoy this with ham as well as turkey.

Sausage and Chestnut Dressing
adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving booklet, 2006

Ingredients:
1 box (16 oz) stuffing
4 Tbsp butter
2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
½ cup white wine
2 cups prepared chestnuts, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
1¼ lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
6 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
3-3½ cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.  Butter a 3½-4 quart casserole dish.  (Butter multiple dishes if you’re dividing.  The above picture shows three roughly 8-inch square containers.
2. Put the stuffing in a large bowl and set aside.  (I cannot emphasize LARGE enough.  You’ll regret it later if you skimp on the bowl.)
3. Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and celery.  Saute 3-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
4. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, for 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the chestnuts and cook for a further 2 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the stuffing.  Mix.
8. Using the same pan, cook the sausage until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to the bowl with the stuffing.
9. Add the parsley to the bowl and stir to combine.
10. Stir in 3 cups of broth.  Add more broth if needed and season with salt and pepper.
11. Transfer to the baking dish(es), cover with buttered aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.  (If starting from frozen, the initial bake time is closer to 40 minutes.)  Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden and crispy, another 15-20 minutes.