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1
Tear bread one day or up to several days ahead of assembling the stuffing. Place on a sheet tray and allow to sit out uncovered to dry out. Alternatively, place sheet tray in oven and dry out at 300u00b0F for about 15 minutes, or until you reach desired result. Cool. Place in a large bowl.
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2
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add olive oil followed by chopped chestnuts. Toast for about 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and set aside.
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3
Increase pan to medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan. Allow to brown undisturbed for about 8-10 minutes or until very well-browned on bottom side. Flip using a spatula and break up into smaller pieces. Brown on opposite side for another 8-10 minutes minutes or until well browned. Remove sausage from pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to bowl with bread, reserving fat in pan.
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4
Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery and onion to pan. Season with salt. Allow to sweat out moisture and slowly cook and sweeten. Reduce heat when needed to medium-low to low to avoid browning. After about 30 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter to pan so vegetables continue to cook without browning. Cook another 20-30 minutes over low heat or until very sweet and flavorful. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with bread.
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5
While soffritto cooks, preheat oven to 350u00b0F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Butter foil to put over the pan.
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6
Add 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter to pan and melt. Pour over bread mixture. In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together 2 cups of stock with eggs. Transfer bread mixture to prepared pan. Pour over egg/stock mixture. Pour over additional stock, a few tablespoons at a time as needed, until bread is moistened.
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7
Bake on center rack of oven covered with foil until a paring knife inserted into the center comes out hot, 30-35 minutes. Increase heat to 450u00b0F and uncover pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until browned and crispy on top. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
