Skillet Cornbread Dressing with Plenty of Sage

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A proper Southern dressing, not a stuffing: crumbly buttermilk skillet cornbread baked a day ahead so it dries out, then soaked in a generous amount of sage-scented broth and bound with egg. The mixture goes into the pan looking almost too wet — that's the secret to a dressing that sets up custardy in the middle with crisp golden edges.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the skillet
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground medium grind
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp sugar (optional)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs

• 4 slices soft white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 cups celery, finely chopped (about 4 ribs)
• 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped (or 1 tbsp dried rubbed sage)
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• 6 cups vegetable broth, warmed (chicken broth if not keeping it vegetarian)
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut in small bits, for the top

Instructions

1. Day 1, make the cornbread: Put a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the 3 tablespoons butter in it into a cold oven and heat to 425°F. While it heats, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk and 2 eggs.
2. Carefully pull out the hot skillet — the butter should be foaming and smell nutty. Pour all but about 1 teaspoon of the melted butter into the buttermilk mixture and whisk it in. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until no dry pockets remain; the batter will be loose. Scrape it into the hot skillet.
3. Bake at 425°F for 22 to 26 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.
4. Once fully cool, crumble the cornbread into coarse, pea-to-marble-size pieces and spread it on a rimmed baking sheet along with the torn white bread. Leave it uncovered at room temperature overnight, tossing once before bed. (In a hurry: dry the crumbs in a 250°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing twice, then cool.)
5. Day 2: Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Melt the 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, 12 to 14 minutes, until very soft and translucent but not browned.
6. Stir in the sage, poultry seasoning, thyme, and black pepper and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant. Scrape the vegetables and all the butter over the dried cornbread and bread in a very large bowl.
7. Pour in 5 cups of the warm broth and fold gently with a rubber spatula. Let it sit 10 minutes to soak, then add the parsley and beaten eggs and fold again. The mixture should be loose and sloppy — like a thick, spoonable porridge that slumps off the spatula. Add the remaining 1 cup broth as needed to get there; dry dressing is the only real mistake here. Taste and add salt until the raw mixture tastes assertively seasoned.
8. Spread the mixture in the baking dish without packing it down. Dot the top with the 2 tablespoons of butter bits. Bake at 350°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and pulling from the dish, the top is set and lightly cracked, and the center reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. It should still jiggle faintly under the crust.
9. Let the dressing rest 15 minutes before serving so the custard finishes setting. Serve warm, scooped straight from the dish, with gravy or cranberry sauce alongside.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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