Crunchy Bread Dressing With Bacon And Leeks Recipes

STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS, LEEKS AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Trim the crusts from the white bread and cut into 1-inch cubes; if using corn bread, coarsely crumble it. Spread the bread pieces out on one or two large baking sheets. Toast in the oven, tossing occasionally, until very dry, about 30 minutes for white bread, 1 hour for corn bread. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon strips until crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the leeks to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until mushrooms are tender and most of their juices have evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the sage and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.
• Spoon the mushroom mixture over the dried bread. Stir in stock. If using white bread, stir in the cider. Add parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. The mixture should be moist and very soft. If you like your stuffing extremely moist, add enough stock to make it seem slightly soggy but not wet. (Think pudding.) Crumble bacon and stir it in.
• Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared baking pan. Drizzle 3 tablespoons melted butter over the stuffing. Bake until golden, 35 to 45 minutes.

CRUNCHY BREAD DRESSING WITH BACON & LEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, fry the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden, 4-6 minutes. Meanwhile, grease the baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
• While the bacon is frying, prepare the vegetables: Cut the carrots into ¼-inch dice. Cut away and discard the dark green tops of the leeks and slice each in half. Rinse to remove sand and grit, then slice crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Set aside the carrots and leeks.
• Remove thyme leaves from stem by pinching the sprig at its tip and sliding your fingers down to the other end. Set aside. Trim the end of the garlic clove, then smash with the flat of your knife to remove the peel. Mince the garlic and set aside.
• When the bacon is brown and completely crisp, use slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Set the bacon aside. Over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter to the bacon fat. Add carrots and leeks; use a wooden spatula to scrape up the browned bits, or "fond," on the bottom of the pan as you stir the vegetables. Continue to sauté until leeks are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté 1 more minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper (but remember that the cooked bacon will add more salt to the final dish).
• In a large stock pot or bowl, add the toasted bread cubes, followed by the leek-carrot mixture and the cooked bacon. Gently mix to combine. Add half of the stock and all of the thyme, then use your hands to toss and combine. Add remaining stock and continue to toss. If the bread still seems dry, add more stock as needed: the cubes should be moist but not falling apart. Finish by adding the chopped green onions and giving a final toss. Transfer dressing to the prepared baking dish. Bake until crispy and golden, 45-60 minutes.

CORNBREAD, BACON, LEEK, AND PECAN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven for 7 minutes. Let cool slightly; coarsely chop. Mix together pecans and cornbread in a large bowl.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cook bacon in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until almost crisp, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add celery and leeks. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; season with pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Return skillet to medium-high heat, and add stock; bring to a simmer, scraping up brown bits and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add to bowl with bacon-vegetable mixture. Stir in eggs. Gently mix in corn bread mixture. (Do not overmix.) Transfer to baking dish. Dot top with butter. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

BREAD STUFFING WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread bread cubes on 2 baking sheets. Bake until bread cubes are dry and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Transfer bread to large bowl.
• Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels and drain. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from skillet. Add chopped leeks and celery to skillet and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Pour mushroom mixture over bread cubes. Add bacon and toss to blend. Mix in 2 cups broth. (Stuffing can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Beat eggs and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Mix eggs into stuffing; moisten stuffing with more broth if stuffing is dry. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake stuffing until cooked through and golden brown on top, about 1 hour.

CRUNCHY BREAD DRESSING WITH BACON AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Directions: Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside. In a large fry pan over medium heat, fry the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. In another large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks, carrots and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the bread, bacon, the leek mixture, the 1 cup stock, milk, thyme, green onions, salt and pepper and stir gently to mix. If the dressing seems dry, add more stock as needed. Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until crispy and golden, about 1 hour. Serves 10 to 12. Note: If desired, you can pack the dressing loosely in the body and neck cavities of the turkey. Secure the neck flap with kitchen string or pin it to the back with toothpicks or trussing pins. Tying the legs together will help hold the stuffing in the body cavity. For turkeys weighing 16 lb. or less, add 30 minutes to the total roasting time. For turkeys weighing more than 16 lb., add 1 hour to the total roasting time.