Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb sliced potato bread, cubed
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 tablespoon minced sage
1 tablespoon minced thyme
1 lb fresh kielbasa, casing removed
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups turkey or chicken stock
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
butter for baking dish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Arrange the bread on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until toasted. Place in a large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, saute the onion and celery in the butter in a large skillet until the onion is translucent but not browned. Scrape onto the bread in the bowl. Add the kielbasa to the same skillet and saute, breaking up any large chunks, until fully cooked. Drain the grease. Add the sausage to the bowl.

Add the eggs to the bowl. Stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the salt, pepper and stock. Stir until it is an uniform mixture. Set aside.

Grease an 9-inch pan (I used a deep dish pie plate) with butter. Spoon in the dressing. Cover in foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and turn oven to 350. Bake 30 minutes or until fully cooked and the top is crispy. Serve immediately.

My thoughts:

We are a house divided. I love my “un-stuffing”-stuffing balls cooked around the turkey and loosely in the exposed cavity, and my husband likes what I’d call “dressing”, bread stuffing that basically comes in no contact with the turkey (or other poultry or meat) at all. It makes me sad. However, we made a turkey breast this year and in the spirit of good will, I made a pan of kielbasa laced dressing. Well, a pie tin anyway, which turned out fine because we could cut wedges of it, which, I admit was kind of fun. He likes it with sausage and still talks of the Thanksgivings they couldn’t serve it that way because it wasn’t kosher for his grandfather. Kosher is not a concern for us, so sausage it is! I like a good, smoked kielbasa from the Polish market but a fresh sausage works best here so you can get a meaty chunk in nearly every bite. It is very tasty, although I missed the flavors of the turkey. It is the best dressing I’ve ever had and since it is cooked in its own pan, it is a great side dish for any kind of meat, not just turkey! If you are a dressing person, love sausage and a ton of herby flavors, this will be perfect for you!