Andoille Sausage Stuffing

When this made its debut at Biggs Manor in 2003, we knew we had a winner. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas since, we have religiously made this stuffing. We chose it at first because it paid homage to our Louisiana roots, but since then have made it because it was so darn good! One year, we had a friend for dinner that had spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and insisted he liked his food spicy. I unloaded almost an entire bottle of Tabasco into a pan of this mad just for him, and we never heard that claim from him again!

I had to make a South Georgia alteration to my stuffing this year, as there was not an andoille sausage to be found at WalMart or Piggly Wiggly in the Southwest Georgia region. Spicy smoked sausage worked almost as well, and we were grateful to have found a few links amongst the selections. Without further adieu, here it is!

ANDOILLE SAUSAGE STUFFING

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 pound andouille sausages, cut into 1/3-inch pieces

1 12-ounce package breakfast-style bulk sausage

3 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped red bell peppers

1 cup chopped green onions

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 loaf cornbread, cubed

1 cups (about) combination of chicken broth and ham stock.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all sausages and cook until brown and cooked through, breaking up bulk sausage with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onions, celery and red bell peppers. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Stir in green onions, thyme, hot pepper sauce and sage. Transfer sausage mixture to large bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir cubed cornbread into sausage mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

To bake all of stuffing in baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Add enough broth/stock to stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer.