Stuffing Waffles
by James Norton
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STUFFING WAFFLES
The waffle iron is a home cook's best friend when it comes to chipping away at Thanksgiving excess.
One of the most universally true things about Thanksgiving is that someone has almost certainly made stuffing (or, as it's called when it's cooked outside of the turkey, dressing.) Stuffing ranges all over the place in terms of ingredients and philosophies, but most of it generally settles into a category we could describe as Savory Bread Pudding. A bit buttery, a bit eggy, quite a bit bready, somewhat vegetable-y, it's a rustic cousin or obscure grand-uncle to a quiche, informal, rough-and-ready, but generally known around town as a lot of fun.
And one of the other most universally true things about Thanksgiving is that leftovers tend to wear on us. One of the best ways to address this problem - in a really broad, effective way - is to take your stuffing, potentially add a raw egg or two, mix it up good, and jam it into a hot waffle iron.
James Norton / Heavy Table
Yes, the newly waffled stuffing is hot, and pleasantly crispy, and excitingly shaped, making it a pretty tempting dish no matter how much of it you ate in its previous guise. But even better: It's a perfect vehicle for everything else. Throw some bits of turkey, some gravy, and some cranberry sauce on top of your stuffing waffle and you've got a self-contained and remarkably low-energy feast on a plate. And the novelty of using a stuffing waffle as your base helps breathe new life into all the components.
Here's our house recipe for stuffing right out of our annotated family cookbook; read it through, and read our (beloved and deceased) cat's note about amending the recipe if you want to make stuffing waffles from the get-go, rather than blending your leftover stuffing with an eggs or two.
As to the directions for cooking the waffles: you'll have to wing it. Put enough stuffing into your waffle iron to fill it without overfilling it. Check it after one regular waffle cycle - as long as any raw egg is thoroughly cooked, it's ready to eat, but you might want to take it further to make it crispier and more complicated. Get into a rhythm, and find your stuffing waffle bliss.
TRADITIONAL FEBGIVING SAUSAGE STUFFING
James Norton / Heavy Table
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound spicy pork bulk sausage (optional)
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced peeled cored apple
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 bay leaf
8 cups 1-inch cubes French bread with crusts (from 1-pound loaf)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup low-salt chicken broth (veggie broth if going vegetarian)
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
3 large eggs, beaten to blend
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through and brown, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Add celery and next 6 ingredients to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add mixture to sausage. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)
Preheat over to 375. Add bread to sausage mixture. Whisk milk, broth, and butter in bowl to blend. Mix into stuffing; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Mix eggs into stuffing. Bake until top is nicely browned and interior is custardy but thoroughly cooked, usually between 1-2 hours depending upon the size of the pan and whether you’ve doubled or tripled the recipe.
NOLA THE CAT: If you're making this stuffing as waffles, which I strongly recommend, then increase the number of eggs to five and halve the sausage to 1/2 pound. Don't forget that cats of leisure often enjoy a taste of cooked pork sausage.