Ciabatta Stuffing

Meanwhile, fill a large liquid measuring cup or bowl with 2½ cups warm water. Stir in demi-glace and cranberries. Set aside.

Finely dice celery. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Mince garlic. Finely chop sage leaves until you have 1 TBSP. Strip thyme leaves from stems; chop leaves until you have ½ TBSP. (Save remaining herbs for making gravy!) (JESSICA’S TIP: To give your stuffing a little extra Oh! What is that flavor? finely chop a jalapeño until you have 1 TBSP, then add to pan along with celery and shallot in the next step.) Grease an 8-by-11-inch (or 8-by-8-inch) baking dish with 1 TBSP butter.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 4-5 minutes. Stir in 2 TBSP butter until melted, then add celery, shallot, and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until veggies begin to soften and sausage is cooked through, 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage, and thyme. Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Pour in cranberries and soaking liquid, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Bring mixture to a boil, then turn off heat.

Crack egg into a small bowl; beat until blended. (You can also crack the egg into the liquid measuring cup or bowl from step 2.) In a large bowl, combine toasted ciabatta and sausage and veggie mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool 1-2 minutes, then stir in beaten egg until evenly distributed. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Dice 1 TBSP butter into small pieces; scatter on top of stuffing.