Herbed Cornbread Dressing
A new-to-me recipe for my 2020 Thanksgiving meal, it’s fair to say that this recipe will be my new go-to for holiday dressing. The most idyllic element of Herbed Cornbread Dressing is the fact that I didn’t need to age the cornbread. I did age the biscuits, though—french bread would suffice.
The dressing is one of the last dishes to go from oven-to-table, so I wasn’t able to capture a photo of it fully baked; Melissa was tired and her tribe was famished! Imagine it nicely browned and it’s basically the same as the photo below (pre-baked).
Elements
3 Boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
3 Large Eggs
1 C Whole Milk
1/2 Loaf Stale Bread
8 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 shallots, Finely Chopped
1 T Minced Garlic
1 Stick Butter
4 C Chicken Broth
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp White Pepper
3 Hard-Boiled Eggs, finely chopped *optional*
1 tsp Fresh Thyme, chopped
1 tsp Fresh Sage, chopped
1 T Fresh Rosemary, stemmed and chopped
Directions
Prepare cornbread as directed in a baking dish; I prefer an 8x11 rectangular dish. Once cool, slice in a grid pattern, to create cubes, using a knife (see slides below).
preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter.
Once butter is melted, add minced garlic and sauté until golden brown.
Add celery and shallots to garlicky butter and sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes.
In an extra-large mixing bowl, scoop-out cornbread into bowl.
Break apart bread with your hands and add to bowl; you want small 1” chunks, not too big.
Add sautéd veggies to bowl; add seasonings.
Toss using a large spoon and try to keep some of the cornbread cubes in tact.
Add chicken broth and toss again.
Pour dressing into a buttered or sprayed baking pan and top with fresh thyme.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes; stir once edges brown, cover, and bake for another 30 minutes.
After one hour, remove foil, check to see if any broth remains and how tacky the dressing feels; you want it to be bread-like not soupy or soggy. Bake uncovered until top browns and correct consistency is reached.
remove from oven, top with freshly-chopped herbs, and serve!