Mind Blowing Holiday Stuffing

Hey Everyone, this year I made stuffing for my Thanksgiving potluck and it was such a huge hit I figured I had to share the recipe with you all. It's adapted from a few different recipes with my own spin. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 box of fresh croissants, torn into 1 to 3 inch chunks (usually 14.5oz box, found in your grocery store fresh bakery aisle)
• ~1lb fresh sourdough loaf, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 stick of butter
• 1lb ground sage sausage (look for the gold Jimmy Dean tubes in the breakfast meat fridge)
• 4 celery stalks, finely diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 medium parsnip, diced into 1/2 inch pieces 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1/4 cup minced fresh sage (or 2 tbsp dried)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tbsp minced fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried and crushed)
• 2 tbsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried and crushed)
• 1 cup kale, cut into approx 1/2in x 2 inch strips 
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, divided in half
• 4 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 3 eggs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Spread all of the sourdough pieces over 2 dry baking sheets and bake until dried, about 45 minutes. Rotate trays and stir cubes a few times for evenness. Remove from oven and let cool. Increase oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).

2. Add croissants to an empty baking tray and toast in the oven for 5-7 minutes until just lightly browned.

3. Meanwhile, melt half the butter over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large, high-walled saute pan for about 1-2 minutes (don't let it brown). Add the sausage, mixing and breaking up into small pieces (1/4-1/2 inch), cooking for about 8 minutes until most of the pink is gone and some pieces are browned. Remove sausage onto a plate, retaining the fat in the pan.

4. Add the other half of the butter, plus the onion, celery, parsnip, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are softened, about 12 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add the sage, nutmeg, thyme, rosemary, and kale. Remove from heat, add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper, and add 2 cups of chicken stock.

5. Whisk remaining chicken stock, eggs, and half of the parsley in a bowl until homogeneous. Slowly pour this mixture into the dutch oven while stirring. Add bread cubes and croissant and fold gently until evenly distributed.

6. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. (If you're making this ahead of time, you can pause here and refrigerate the dish for a few hours before cooking. Just bring it to room temperature before adding to the oven.) Bake the covered stuffing for approx 40-50 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown and crisp on top, 15 minutes longer. You can also move to the top rack and broil for 2-3 minutes longer if it's not crisping up on top.

7. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining parsley, some fresh ground pepper, and serve!