Chestnut, Apple and Sage stuffing

A classic meets rustic stuffing with crispy, golden, buttery edges, tender chestnuts, and sweet pockets of sage infused apple. You can make this up to two days in advance...

If you ask me, it doesn’t get better than this when it comes to stuffing!

I’ve tested countless stuffing recipes over the years. I’ve made cornbread from scratch (too labor-intensive and, honestly, a bit dry), and I’ve gone the sausage route—delicious, but ultimately too heavy when paired with everything else on the table. (That said, if you must add a pound of browned sausage to this recipe, absolutely no one will stop you.)

What I love is a stuffing with classic flavors, but nothing overly dense or heavy—something cozy and indulgent, yet somehow light and with plenty of texture. That’s where ingredients like torn bread, chestnuts and celery shine, breaking up the mush-factor and adding a crispy, (sometimes) buttery crunch. A loaf of good bread is the winning ticket here. Skip the boxed cubes and go for a bakery loaf of sourdough, pain de mie, country bread, pain au levain… even ciabatta or focaccia. Yes, you can use pre-cut stale bread cubes, but tearing up a loaf yourself results in a more visually appealing dish (sue me - I want my food pretty!) with superior texture—and it can be oddly therapeutic.

If chestnuts aren’t your thing (sad face emoji), substitute with pecans, walnuts or leave out the nuts entirely. If you’re wondering “what exactly IS a chestnut?” It’s a really healthy nut (low in fat (2-3%) — other nuts are over 50% fat) that tastes sort of like a roasted sweet potato, hazelnut or mushroom, depending on who you ask. I love them. They come roasted and peeled (ready to use) in jars or pouches and are similar nutritionally to brown rice.

Roasted and peeled chestnuts, ready to use

Right before baking I pour garlic butter over the stuffing. The recipe has a range of 4–8 tablespoons of butter because some of you like to go hard and others aren’t into ultra-rich (I used the full stick in case you want to know.) Imo the key to making a recipe something you love isn’t following it exactly, it’s tweaking it so that you wind up with something that is personal and perfect to YOU.

You can prepare this stuffing a day or two ahead, right until the baking point. Refrigerate overnight and add about 15-20 minutes baking time. ⁣You can also halve this recipe to feed 6-8 and bake it in a buttered 9” cake pan.