Turkey Stuffing

Over the years my three favorite turkey stuffings have been Turkey Sausage, Chestnut and Panettone Stuffing; Sara Leah Chase's version of Belmont Inn, Camden Maine, Corn Bread Stufing based on an ambrosial turkey dressing with Sambuca liqueur and day old sambuca corn bread; and Craig Claiborne's Corn Bread Stuffing. Here is my update of Mr. Claiborne's southern gem.

6 T. butter
2 cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped green or red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups finely chopped heart of celery
4 cups finely crumbled corn bread (you can make your own or simply purchase a corn bread in your market. You can even use corn muffins)
3 cups crumbled toast
2 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh or canned low sodium chicken broth
3 raw eggs
kosher or sea salt to taste
1/2 pound gruyere cheese
1 can creamed corn
1 can Old El Paso chopped green chiles


1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish

2. In a large fry pan, melt 4 T. butter and add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring until vegetables are crisp-tender. Set aside

3. Place the corn bread and toast in a large mixing bowl and add the hard-cooked eggs, and the celery mixture. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and the remaining ingredients. Stir to blend.

4. Transfer the stuffing to a buttered baking dish and bake until crispy and golden, about 1 hour.
Serves 8 to 10.

I just looked in my cupboard and I have a can that is labled Yams, and then Sweet Potatoes. If you don't know, there is a significant difference between them. Sweet potatoes tend to be a little moister, more deeply colored and more flavorul than yams.

This year we are cooking Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan and Marshmallow Streusel, a fantastic offering, but I'd like to show you another time favorite which will get raves from your guests; Sweet Potatoes with Carmelized Apples which I found in Martha Stewart Living in 1995. It is more time consuming but worth the effort.

This dish can be assembled up to a day in advance and refrigerated; be sure to let it come to room temperature before baking.

6 sweet potatoes (about 4 pounds)
1 tsp. salt
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 T. lemon juice
9 T unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
6 T. packed dark brown sugar
6 T. heavy cream
1/4 cup calvados or brandy
1/4 cup orange juice

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake potatoes till soft, 40 to 45 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel and place flesh in a medium bowl; addd salt and mash with a fork.

Meanwhile, slice apples into 1/8 inch thick slices and place in a medium bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to combine.

In a medium skillet, melt 3 T. butter over medium -high heat. Add 2 T. brown sugar and cook until sugar dissolves. Stir in 4 T. cream and the calvados and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add to sweet potatoes, mixing well to combine. Transfer potato mixture to a buttered 3 quart ovenproof casserole. Arrange apples over potatoes; set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt remaining 3 T. butter over medium heat. Add remaining 2 T. of cream and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in orange juice and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until thickened and dark brown. Pour over the apples and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake until heated through, about 30 minutes, Remove from oven and serve immediately or let stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Served 8 to 10