MSU Corporate Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski's stuffing recipe is below -- click here to see a recent Lansing State Journal article that has several of Chef Kurt's Thanksgiving recipes.

Chef Kurt’s Sourdough Stuffing 

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 bunch fresh sage

1/2 bunch fresh thyme
5 cups sourdough bread cut into cubes
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 cup onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, whisked (like for scrambled eggs)
½ cup heavy cream
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 3 T. olive oil, sage and thyme sprigs. As the oil heats up the herbs will crackle and fry, infusing the oil. Remove the sage and thyme and set aside on a paper towel to drain. Reserve the oil.

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and slice the bread into small cubes, removing the crusts if desired. Toss the bread in the infused oil and spread the cubes in a single layer between two baking sheets. Toast for ten minutes. Stir the bread cubes and add the chopped nuts. Continue toasting until the bread is completely dry and the walnuts are toasted, another 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Brown the sausage with a sprinkle of salt over medium heat, breaking it up into crumbles as you cook, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the sausage to a bowl and reserve.

In the same pan over medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onions and celery for about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage and reserve.

Add the bread and nuts to the bowl with the vegetables and sausage. Then add the whisked eggs, cream and 3 c. of the broth. Mix all together. If it does not seem wet enough add more liquid. You want the dressing very wet, but be careful not to go crazy.

Scrape the mixture into a buttered 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil, and continue baking until the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

More From 94.9 WMMQ