Wild Rice Dressing with Chestnuts and Sausage
When we first found this recipe, it was billed as a “stuffing”. It’s much better as a side dressing and goes well with turkey, duck, capon and especially with a Christmas goose.Note: You can make this ahead of time. The unbaked dressing can be refrigerated overnight; bring to room temperature before baking. This dressing also freezes well for future use.
Wild Rice Dressing with Chestnuts and Sausage
Water
1 ½ C wild rice
4 T unsalted butter
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 celery rib (finely chopped)
2 C jasmine rice
Kosher salt
1 pound Moody’s bulk breakfast sausage
1/3 C snipped chives or chopped green onions
1 t sage (chopped)
1 t thyme (chopped)
8 ounces vacuum packed chestnuts (coarsely chopped)
3 C chicken broth
2 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T water
Preheat oven to 350°F; butter a 9x13 inch baking dish (I use a deeper lidded Corningware casserole). Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the wild rice, cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until tender – about 45 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, melt 2 T of the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chopped onion, garlic and celery and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened – about 6 minutes. Add the jasmine rice and cook for 2 minutes stirring. Add 2 ½ C of water and 1 t of salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender – about 18 minutes. Fluff the jasmine rice with a fork and transfer to a large bowl.
Melt 2 T of butter in a skillet and add the sausage, cooking over moderately high heat, breaking it up until browned and cooked through – about 8 minutes. Stir in the chives (or green onions), sage and thyme and scrape the mixture into the bowl. Add the chestnuts and drained wild rice, season with salt and pepper and stir gently.
Add the chicken stock to the skillet and scrape up any of the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Boil until the stock is reduced to 1 ½ C – about 10 minutes. Stir the stock into the rice dressing and spread the dressing in the prepared baking dish. Cover with lid (or foil) and bake until sizzling – about 30 minutes
Serve hot.