Something Old, Something New
Growing up in an Italian household meant that Thanksgiving looked a little different in our house. I recall a grade school teacher who was alarmed by my drawing of our holiday table. She thought I was being defiant when everything on the table was covered in red crayon. Little did she know, everything was actually covered in what we called gravy, but it wasn’t brown. That’s right, gravy, which is tomato sauce to most of you. Lasagne, ravioli’s, meatballs, sausage, bracialo were the centerpieces of our dinner. Don’t get me wrong, we had turkey, too, and all the fixings. It was a lot, but it was great fun.
Thanksgiving was my mom’s holiday, and she wasn’t a woman who relinquished a lot of control when it came to her kitchen. Not out of character, I suppose, for most Italian moms. That said, she did her best to have a touch of everyone’s traditions represented. One of my favorites was a very simple and satisfying stuffing that our Grandma Mickie made. I thought of it today, as I am planning my holiday menu and my Dad recently sent me the photo above, so I decided to share it.
Grandma Mickie was actually my cousin’s Grandmother, but that distinction didn’t mean anything to me when I was growing up or even today. She loved me, and I felt the same. She always had a big smile and some new slippers or mittens that she had knit for me, her hugs enveloped me, and her stuffing was absolutely delicious.
It is ridiculously heavy, and the recipe is intended for a crowd who likes to eat big and still have plentiful leftovers for the next day.
Mickie’s Stuffing
1 lb pork sausage (we used sweet, but hot would be good, too)
2 onions
3 lbs russet potatoes
3 cups croutons
1-2 cups reserved potato water, or turkey stock
Seasoning to taste—rosemary, oregano, sage, & thyme. (Bell’s is listed in the original recipe, but I use fresh. )
Peel the potatoes (optional), boil in salted water till very soft, strain, reserving a cup of liquid. Mash potatoes roughly, adding liquid as needed.
In a skillet, over medium-high heat, brown sausage cut into bite size pieces. Remove sausage from the pan.
Soften the onion on low heat in the rendered fat from sausage. I prefer them softened and not browned, which takes about 10 minutes on low. Add the croutons and sausage back into the skillet and toss to coat the and soften the croutons.
Combine the potatoes with the croutons, sausage, onions and fresh herbs, salt & pepper to your taste. Add liquid ass needed for texture. (I am curious about Bell’s Seasoning, but have not used it. I read about it online, and it is just ground, dried rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper.)
Smash it together into a baking dish 9 x 11 cassarole would work. (I am remembering my mom’s Corningware cassarole dish with the little blue flowers on it!)
You can make it ahead and bake to warm through at 300 degrees, about 30 minutes, covered or not, if you prefer to brown it.
This is an easy one to adapt as you wish, but when my partner just asked me about a modification, I felt I was channeling for my mom when I glared at him and asked, “what on earth would you change? I mean, then it wouldn’t be Grandma Mickie’s stuffing!”
It is a recipe that likely arose out of the need to stretch a dollar, but it is a taste that reminds me of the warmth and love of family holidays with a big bunch of crazy Italians.
Perfect Pair? I think the fat, salt, and spice of this dish wants something simple and fruity, and it is time for some Beaujolais, so let’s do that! The bright fruit and acidity with the fresh juicy style of the wine will be a nice tart contrast to the dish.
I typically don’t get too jazzed about Nouveau, but there are more and more on the market that are exceeding my expectations and offering a wonderful opportunity to see what the latest vintage has to offer. That would be a great pairing with this “stuffing” and a salad, tear off the heel of the bread and enjoy!