Venison Stuffin’ Muffins
For many years I have spent Thanksgiving week hunting on a friend’s family ranch and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with his family after the morning hunt. Every year Aunt Jan bakes her stuffing in muffin trays. This makes for crisper and crunchy edges and less soggy stuffing. I have created my own stuffing muffins by adding my homemade Italian venison sausage and fresh herbs to make Stuffin’ Muffins a perfect side for any holiday meal. They are even delicious cold the next day as a hunting snack.
Ingredients
1 pound diced and dried Italian bread
½ cup butter melted
1 medium yellow onion, diced in small chunks, ½ squares
2 cups celery, chopped in half moons
½ tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
½ tablespoon fresh sage, chopped fine
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound Italian venison sausage (see Italian sausage recipe)
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 whole eggs
Directions
You can either purchase diced dried Italian bread chunks or dice and dry your own bread. If you are drying your own, start by heating the oven to 250 F. You will want to purchase a large loaf of French bread. Tear or cut the bread into 1-inch squares. Lightly oil two rimmed baking trays. Scatter the soft, diced bread pieces in a single layer and place in the oven. Bake them for about 1 hour, turning or stirring each tray of diced bread a couple times over the hour. Once the bread is completely dried, remove the trays from the oven, and allow them to cool. Once the bread is cool, pour all the bread into a large mixing bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a large skillet, melt the butter, and add the chopped onion and celery. Sauté over medium high heat until they become translucent, approximately 10 minutes.
In a medium skillet, brown the Italian sausage over medium heat. Be sure to chop and separate it as much as possible to create small pieces. The meat does not need to be fully cooked, just browned enough to separate.
Once your onions and celery are cooked, add 1 cup of the chicken broth and chopped fresh thyme, rosemary, sage and black pepper. Remove from heat and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the browned sausage, mix well, and allow to cool.
Lightly grease 2 muffin trays to make 12–18 muffins total.
In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk the 2 eggs with the remaining 1 ½ cups of chicken broth.
Add the dried bread chunks to the cooled vegetables and sausage in the large bowl. Fold all the ingredients together. Add the egg and broth and fold in until everything is incorporated.
Generously fill each muffin cup with the stuffing mix. Place in the oven at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are brown and crispy.