Simply the best Sage and Onion Stuffing

Sage and Onion Stuffing: Not just for Christmas

Sage and onion stuffing is a classic combination and with this simple and easy to make recipe it is not just for Christmas. Its a brilliant use for this hardy herb, which is still growing even into the winter months.

The Perfect Side Dish

Everyone has their favourite side dishes for a traditional roast dinner whatever the main star of the show. I'm happy to admit I'll add a Yorkshire pudding to any roast, but I'm acutely aware this is not strictly on message. Stuffing however is a little less controversial (probably).

While classically paired with chicken; stuffing is a glorious addition to any roast dinner. This version makes the most of some traditionally Christmas flavours (juniper, sage, cranberries and chestnuts) but is equally delicious any time of the year. It's super easy to make in bulk, can be prepared in advance and frozen for when you need it. What could be better?

Ingredients

To make the stuffing you will need:

400g chopped onions

30g butter for frying onions

800 good quality sausage-meat

160g fresh breadcrumbs

100g chestnuts (the vac pack ones, roughly chopped)

100g dried cranberries, chopped

5 tablespoons of chopped sage

1 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed

salt and pepper to season.

Method

Sauté the Onions: Sauté the onions in a generous tablespoon of butter (about 30g) until they are soft and translucent. You could use vegetable oil (or similar), but I find that butter really enhances the flavour of the onions. A pinch or grind of salt added to the pan while they are softening really does help draw out the moisture. This stage should take about 15 minutes, but go at your own pace. Set aside and allow to cool.
Prepare the Dry Ingredients: While you wait for the onions to cool, prepare the dry ingredients. I find a small blender handy for making the fresh breadcrumbs and for chopping the chestnuts. Despite my best efforts, the cranberries are too sticky to chop this way, and I always resort to the more traditional chopping board and sharp knife (or mezzaluna) method. Once prepared, mix the dry ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl. At this stage, you can check for seasoning.
Combine Ingredients: Add the cooled onions before mixing in the sausage meat. The best method is to just get your (clean) hands in and work the mix until fully combined. You could use a spoon or spatula, but generally, this takes significantly more time and often creates more of a mess.
Form the Stuffing Balls: Form the mix into balls. I use scales to ensure they are all a uniform size, handy if you want to make sure they all cook evenly. The size is up to you; as a guide, I tend to gauge them at about 45g each. You could, if preferred, bake in an ovenproof dish, but there is something nostalgic about crispy stuffing balls for me.
Prepare for Freezing: It’s easier to form the mix if your hands are damp so I tend to keep a bowl of water handy for dunking in when my hands get all sticky. Once the balls are formed lightly dust in flour and place on a flat baking sheet. This is handy if you want to flash freeze them before placing in a bag back in the freezer. I tend to leave them for about 20-30 mins to start to set the outside of each stuffing ball. The first freeze just prevents them from sticking together when you do pack them for the freezer, either in a suitable freezer-safe container or bags. It really depends on how much room you have.
Bake the Stuffing: When you want to bake them, preheat the oven to 180°C. They do cook from frozen but I do find that defrosting them first has more consistent results. Place the stuffing balls on a lightly greased baking tray and cook about 40 minutes (depending on how crispy you like them or how large each stuffing ball is). The request from my family is always to err on the slightly caramelised side. This is handy at Christmas when there is so much else going on (including a couple of beers) that mean if I burn it, everyone is still happy!Method

A Nod to the Creator

Here I must give credit to the creator of this brilliant recipe, the marvellously talented Tom Kerridge in his book "Proper Pub Classics". This really is the best stuffing I have ever tasted (and the book is really rather good too). I highly recommend it, and not just at Christmas.