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Holiday Cornbread Dressing

This moist and flavorful cornbread dressing—or what you non-Southerners may call stuffing—appeared in Martha Stewart Living, and it remains one of our most requested recipes at the Market. The mix of pillowy egg bread and crusty, grainy cornbread is a real winner. Try stirring in leeks and wild mushrooms in spring or oysters and hot Italian sausage in winter.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 onion, chopped
6 celery stalks, chopped, with 1/4 cup leaves chopped and reserved
1 loaf challah, brioche, or other soft egg bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
Salt and Pepper Skillet Cornbread (page 57), cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried crumbled sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 large eggs

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Step 2

    Melt the butter in a large, deep ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and golden.

    Step 3

    Remove from the heat, add the bread, cornbread, reserved celery leaves, fresh sage, marjoram, salt, dried sage, and pepper, and stir to mix. Add the broth and eggs and stir to combine and moisten the bread. The dressing can be mixed in the same skillet if it is large enough; if not, transfer to a large bowl to mix and return to the skillet to bake.

    Step 4

    Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, 45 minutes to 1 hour. If it begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil and continue to bake. Remove from the oven and serve warm.

  2. On the Side

    Step 5

    Put on a truly impressive holiday spread by serving this dressing alongside Carl’s Deep-Fried Turkey (page 149), Buttermilk Mashed Creamers (page 238), and Sweet Potato Casserole (page 254).

Reprinted with permission from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen: Soulful, Traditional, Seasonal by Sara Foster. Copyright © 2011 by Sara Foster. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved. Sara Foster is the owner of Foster's Market, the acclaimed gourmet take-out store/cafés in Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the author of several cookbooks including The Foster's Market Cookbook, winner of the Best Cookbook Award from the Southeast Booksellers Association. She has appeared numerous times on Martha Stewart Living Television and NBC's Today show. She has also been featured in magazines such as More, House Beautiful, and Southern Living, and is featured regularly in Bon Appétit.
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