Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing Recipe (Photo: Gabi Porter.
Sam Sifton•

Former New York Times restaurant critic Sam Sifton released an awesome Thanksgiving book full of classic, fool-proof recipes for the big day. Read our interview, Sam Sifton Wrote The Book On Thanksgiving, and try out a few of the dishes he was kind enough to loan us, like this cornbread dressing recipe. 

Here is a recipe I adapted from the cooking of Kurt Gardner, a New York theater man of great culinary passions who has been contributing the dish to our home for years, usually in proportions large enough to feed boroughs. Rare is the month where there is not a frozen bag of this stuff in our freezer, ready to be deployed.

Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing Recipe
No Ratings
Fill 202 Print
Prep Time
1
hour
Cook Time
2
hours
Servings
6
to 8
Three-Pepper Sausage Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Total time: 3 hours
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds Andouille sausage
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 red or orange bell peppers
  • 2 Anaheim or poblano chiles
  • 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1 pan cornbread
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 10-ounce package frozen organic corn kernels
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch cast iron skillet or a 12 by 8 by 2-inch pan, and place it in the oven to heat.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add the corn and stir until just combined. Add the butter and stir once or twice to incorporate.
  3. Remove the hot skillet or pan from the oven, pour batter into it, and give the whole number a smack on the counter to settle it. 
  4. Put pan in oven to cook until mixture is brown on top and a sharp knife inserted into its center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  6. Heat olive oil in large flat-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until browned, approximately 10 minutes. Remove to a large bowl and set aside.
  7. Add onion to the pan and reduce heat to medium, then sauté until onion begins to turn clear and soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add celery and peppers and continue cooking until peppers begin to soften, approximately 10 minutes.
  8. Pour vegetable mixture into bowl with sausage, add chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to mix.
  9. Return pan to heat and deglaze with a splash of chicken stock, then scrape contents into bowl with sausage and vegetable mixture.
  10. Pour mixture into a large roasting pan and add cubed cornbread, mixing by hand.
  11. Add chicken stock to moisten, cover with aluminum foil, and place in oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it is soft and the flavors well incorporated. If you desire a crunchy top, remove foil for final 10 minutes of cooking.
 
Recommended