If It Ain'T Broke, Don'T Fix It Stuffing

1. 1

   Place racks in middle and top of oven; preheat to 300u00b0F. Butter a 3-qt. baking dish. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake on middle rack, tossing occasionally, until dried out (do not let brown more than just a bit around the edges), 25-35 minutes. Let cool.

2. 2

   Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Arrange sausage in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Break up into bite-size pieces with 2 spatulas or spoons and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer sausage to a plate.

3. 3

   Reduce heat to medium and melt 1 cup butter in same skillet. Add onion, fennel, and celery; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but not browned, 12-15 minutes. Add wine and scrape bottom of skillet to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Toss in parsley, sage, and thyme and let mixture cool in skillet.

4. 4

   Increase oven temperature to 350u00b0F. Whisk eggs and 2 cups stock in a very large bowl. Add bread, sausage, and onion mixture and toss well to combine. Add 2 tsp. or 1 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Drizzle remaining 2 cups stock over and toss again to combine. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until bread absorbs all of the liquid, about 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Transfer stuffing to prepared dish; butter a sheet of foil and cover dish, butter side down. Bake on middle rack until very hot throughout (it should feel too hot to comfortably touch in the center; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should register 160u00b0F), 35-40 minutes.

6. 6

   Increase oven temperature to 425u00b0F. Remove foil and transfer baking dish to top rack. Continue to bake stuffing until golden brown, 25-30 minutes longer.

7. 7

   Stuffing can be assembled 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

No additional tips available.