Sides That Free Up the Oven

Cornbread Dressing

Stale bread is the point. Fresh cornbread turns to pudding, so leave it out overnight or dry it in the oven first.

What goes in

• 8 cups cornbread, crumbled and left out overnight to go stale
• 3 cups white bread, cubed and staled
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup butter, one stick
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp dried sage · 1 tsp dried thyme · 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 2 tsp salt · 1 1/2 tsp black pepper

How to make it

1. Melt the butter in a pan and soften the onion and celery in it, about 8 minutes. Do not brown them.
2. Put the staled cornbread and white bread in a very large bowl and add the onion, celery and all the butter from the pan.
3. Sprinkle over the sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and toss gently.
4. Whisk the eggs into the broth, pour it over, and fold just until everything is damp. Do not beat it, you want texture.
5. Grease the pot, tip the dressing in, and spread it level without pressing it down. Lid on.
6. Low 4 hours or high 2 hours 30, until set in the middle. For a crisp top, lift the insert under a hot grill for 5 minutes.