My Christmas Ultimate Chestnut Stuffing

This Christmas ultimate chestnut stuffing goes right back to my younger days working at the Dorchester Hotel in park Lane. Christmas there was a grand affair with lobster, caviar and truffles featuring on menus. The main event was quite traditional with turkey and all the trimmings, and this was the stuffing served with the bird. Not a packet of Paxo in sight!

I resurrected the recipe for the family many years ago and it has always been a big hit. My youngest daughter craves it so much we have even sent it down to her if she can’t make it up to us at Christmas. It freezes well so it’s a good idea to make it well ahead, then simply bake it in the oven while the turkey is resting. And if you haven’t already read our post Cranberry and Whisky Luxury Mince Pies to complete the Christmas experience.

Ingredients

1 medium onion

450g                            skinned herby sausages

200g                            cooked fresh (see below) or tinned chestnuts

1                                  clove garlic

1 tbsp                          chopped flat parsley

½ tsp                           chopped fresh sage

½ tsp                           chopped fresh thyme

¼                                bay leaf

180ml                          dark chicken stock or diluted low salt cube

                                    salt (taste first)

                                    mill pepper

130g                            white breadcrumbs (approx.)

Making the stuffing.

Choose a pan that is wide enough to take the volume of stuffing you wish to make without been too deep. If the stuffing is cooked in a narrow deep pan, it will increase the chance of it burning on the bottom.

Peel and finely chop the onion and place into the pan with a dash of olive oil then gently fry the onion until soft and golden. When ready remove the pan from the heat a let it cool down a little then add the herb sausage meat. Don’t add any seasoning yet. Once the meat is cooked, we can adjust the seasoning

I have chosen to use finished sausages rather than buying a pack of sausage meat. I find the sausage meat sold for stuffing at Christmas can be inferior to actual sausages and it also gives you a better choice of quality and flavour.

Cooking the stuffing.

Put the pan back onto a low heat and mix together with the side of a silicone spatula to break up the meat. You can then add a little stock to help smooth everything out. Don’t be tempted to fry the sausage meat or you will end up with meatballs not stuffing.

Work in the balance of the chicken stock, garlic and bay leaf and mix well bringing up to the simmer and pop on the lid. Now you can ether place the pan into a low oven to braise for 20 minutes or cook slowly on the hob keeping a close eye on the bottom of the pan. (During the braising process the sausage meat should be checked periodically and any excess fat removed from the surface with a small ladle or spoon).

Finishing the stuffing.

Remove from the oven the pan from the oven and remove any fat floating on the surface. Fold in the chestnuts and two thirds of the breadcrumbs. Now’s the time to have a taste and add some mill pepper and salt if needed. If you have used a stock cube it may not need additional salt at all. Let the stuffing stand for five minutes to let the breadcrumbs thicken then check the consistency and add more breadcrumbs if needed. The stuffing should sit heaped on a spoon without falling off or been overly dry. Finally fold in the chopped herbs and if using at once, transfer the stuffing to a buttered covered oven proof container in readiness for serving. To serve bake the stuffing in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes before use

Cook ahead.

This mixture may be prepared the day before and carefully reheated in its casserole container.  If doing this ensure the stuffing is heated right through to a core temperature of at least 70˚c. I normally make it a couple of weeks ahead, store it in tin foil containers and freeze to save time on the day.

To cook fresh Chestnuts.

¼                                 bay leaf

8 oz                              skinned chestnuts

20cm                            celery stick

                                    sprig of thyme

6oz                               chicken or beef stock

If you want to go the whole hog, why not buy fresh chestnuts and cook them yourself? And don’t forget to buy a few extra and have some roast chestnuts with a glass of wine or two.

You will need a small sharp pointed knife and a great deal of care, it’s quite easy to cut yourself scoring through the skin. You can buy ‘knife safe’ gloves but if you’re not too confident with a knife, buy the pre-cooked ones.

Using just the tip of the knife score through the skin of the chestnut around the equator. Don’t go too deep, a scone on each side of the chestnut should be enough.

There are four ways of removing the skin.

The chefy way, dip the chestnut into a deep fat fryer at 180˚c for about 30 seconds. Works a treat, but not recommended at home as the chestnuts can ‘pop’ spraying hot oil around plus the dangers of deep fat frying.

Microwave. Works well bit a bit of a nuisance if you have a hot to do. Soak the chestnuts in cold water for five minutes. Drain them and pass through the microwave for one minute, if the skins still resist try another minute. It’s a bit of trial and error according to your microwave.

Oven Roasting. Toss the chestnuts in a dash of oil and roast in a 185˚c oven for about 30 minutes. The chestnuts are cooked by the time they are ready and become more difficult to braise, but ideal if you just want to serve them with sprouts. The biggest problem though is I eat too many and are then short for the meal!

Blanching in water. The best option for making at home. Drop the chestnuts into a pan of boiling water for three to four minutes. Using a kitchen spider lift out five or six at a time and place them in a tea towel and the skins should come off easily. If you have a lot to do, blanch them in batches and take the pan off the heat while you are removing the pan from the heat. If tye chestnits become cold and dry out the skins are harder to remove. just popo them back in the water for a couple of minutes to warm through.

To braise the chestnuts, take a shallow pan and place the prepared chestnuts and the stock on to the stove to warm through. Make a bouquet garni by encasing the thyme, bay leaf between the halved celery stick and add to the chestnuts. Bring the pan cover with a disc of grease proof paper and cook in the oven until the chestnuts are tender but not disintegrating, about 15 minutes. Leave to cool. In the stock then drain, the remaining cooking liquid can be used as the stock to make the stuffing.

So what are you waiting for? Get ahead for Christmas.

Enjoy Life! – And Christmas

John.

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©John Webber. 2023