It is full swing holiday season and no one wants to have the same exact meal at each gathering. While there is a basic structure (potatoes, rolls, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, etc.) of sides to go with the extra special centerpiece of a whole turkey, ham or other larger cut of meat, you don't have to basic about it. This Ham & Gruyere Stuffing is taking your stuffing to the next level with a great punch of flavor.
Ham & Gruyere Stuffing
I am going to address the elephant in the room and just come right out and say it - I do not put my stuffing inside the turkey - EVER! I do not feel that the small amount of meat flavor that transfers to the stuffing is worth the risk of food poisoning from it not being cooked through. If you really want the turkey flavor, just drizzle your stuffing with gravy made from the turkey drippings.
Ham & Gruyere Stuffing
When you are prepping the ingredients for this recipe, you want to be extra aware of your knife work. The celery, onions, ham and cheese really need to be close to the same size. And that size should be about half the size of the stuffing cubes. This is so that it all cooks evenly, as well as for presentation. You can make your own stuffing cubes by dicing potato bread, spread it out on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in a 300degF oven.
While it's not often, I sometimes make stuffing for a Sunday dinner - and not just during the holiday season. So I like to play with different flavors. This recipe was the first time I used cheese in a stuffing but it will certainly not be my last. The little pops of melty cheese just give it that something special.
Now Let's Get Cookin'!
Ham & Gruyere Stuffing
Take your holiday stuffing to the next level with the addition of ham and gruyere cheese
- ½ cup Butter
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
- 3 Celery Stalks (diced)
- 1 tsp Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 8 oz Ham (diced)
- 6 oz Gruyere Cheese (diced)
- 1 tsp Rubbed Sage
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 4 cups Traditional Cube Stuffing
- 1 qt Broth (chicken or vegetable)
-
Preheat oven to 350degF. Note that the onions, celery, ham and gruyere should all be diced to roughly the same size.
-
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. Then add salt, pepper, onions and celery. Allow to saute until the onions are translucent.
-
In a 13x9 baking dish, add stuffing cubes, ham, gruyere, thyme, sage and cooked onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour broth evenly over mixture.
-
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.
No comments:
Post a Comment