Cornbread Sausage Stuffing

Sean found this recipe from Food & Wine, and while last year's Thanksgiving stuffing was delicious, we decided to change it up this year with a cornbread recipe.  With the unique addition of roasted poblano peppers, this seemed like a perfect one to try.  We made the cornbread a couple days ahead of time to cut down on the Thanksgiving day preparations.  The flavor of the stuffing was so delicious- a little sweet from the cornbread, and extra savory from the country sausage and vegetable combination.  It was a big hit! 

Ingredients:

• corn bread (made in one 13x9 sized baking dish) We used the recommended country corn bread recipe, but you could also do a box mix. 
• 4 medium poblano chiles
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium celery ribs, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 pound coarsely ground country sausage meat or breakfast sausage without casings
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

Directions:
Break the corn bread into 1-inch pieces and spread on a baking sheet.  Let it dry out for 4 hours (or longer).  We put ours in a barely warm oven for 30 minutes or so to help it dry out faster.  

Heat the broiler and place the poblanos on a foil covered baking sheet.  Roast them until the skin is charred and bubbly on both sides, flipping as needed.  Remove from the oven and fold up the sides of the foil creating a pouch around the peppers.  This will help sweat the skins off so they'll be easier to remove.  After 15-20 minutes, peel the skins off and remove the seeds.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt the butter until foaming. Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. 

Add the sausage, breaking it up, and cook until no pink remains.

Stir in the oregano, salt, pepper and poblanos, and finally mix in the corn bread.  Stir in the turkey/chicken stock.

Spread the stuffing in a large buttered casserole dish.  Bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes longer until the top is a golden-brown.  You can also make this ahead of time and refrigerate for 1-2 days before baking.  This was so flavorful and delicous with our Thanksgiving dinner.  The leftovers also made a great savory breakfast!