My grandmothers bread dressing for turkey

Gram’s Bread Dressing for Turkey

I can’t even think of Thanksgiving dinner at home with the whole clan without thinking of having second and third helpings of Gram’s dressing with gravy. It was always the highlight of Thanksgiving Dinner for me.

It was a ritual for Gram every Thanksgiving morning toasting bread for the dressing. It didn’t involve me so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Now that I host Thanksgiving dinner each year, it is a ritual that I can now call my own.

2 to 3 loaves of bread toasted, torn and soaked in warm chicken stock

2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 shallots, minced

2 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp finely minced sage leaves

1 tsp. salt

4 tbs. butter

2 eggs

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

Lightly toast the bread slices to golden brown. Tear the bread into pieces and soak in warm chicken stock. Squeeze the liquid out of the bread and add to a bowl. You want six to eight cups of squeezed out bread.

Melt the butter and sauté the onions, shallots and celery. If you like, add a little olive oil to the skillet, it can’t hurt. Stir without burning, until the onions and celery have softened. Add the walnuts, poultry seasoning, pepper, salt and minced sage. Stir and add to the bowl with the bread. 

Add the two eggs to the bowl and mix well. Add the dressing to a buttered baking pan. Pour a little chicken stock over the dressing and bake, covered, at 350º for around an hour or more. Sprinkle with a little more chicken stock half way through the baking to keep it moist.

Serving

Now, I really shouldn’t have to say how to serve this, but I’ll do it anyways. You serve a large pile of Gram’s bread dressing next to a generous portion of sliced turkey. Now add a mound of mashed rutabaga and drown all of that in a flood of giblet gravy. Add some green beans and cranberries, fresh bread and butter and a glass of wine.