Artisan Bread Dressing

Ingredients:

• 7 cups torn artisan bread
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 cups chopped leek
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning* (see recipe below)
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange bread cubes in a single layer on one or more baking sheets. Toast for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, then let cool completely.
• Reduce oven to 375°F. Butter an 8x12 or 9x13 baking dish & set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook the ground pork until browned. Stir in chopped leeks, onions, and sage. Stir and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
• Add 1 cup chicken broth, stir, and remove from heat. In a very large bowl, whisk the eggs with 2 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk in poultry seasoning and pepper.
• Stir in slightly cooled pork mixture until combined. Gently fold in toasted bread cubes.
• Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and pour remaining chicken broth over top.  Serve warm.

Poultry Seasoning: 2 tsp ground dried sage, 1 ½ tsp ground dried thyme, 1 tsp ground dried marjoram, ¾ tsp ground dried rosemary, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp finely ground black pepper (Store in a repurposed spice jar. Yield: 6 1/4 tsp)