SERVES 10 – 12

Recipes for stuffing—also known in some circles as "dressing", apparently for reasons of Victorian modesty—vary according to taste, geography, and/or ethnic heritage. Rice and pecans show up frequently in stuffings from the South, as does, not surprisingly, corn bread. Corn bread made at home from scratch greatly improves this stuffing.

1/2 lb. butter
3 medium yellow onions, peeled
   and finely chopped
1/2 head celery, trimmed and finely
   chopped
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. pork sausage, removed from
   casings
6 cups crumbled Corn Bread
Leaves from 1/2 bunch parsley,
   finely chopped
1/4 cup bual, malmsey, or other
   sweet Madeira

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook without browning, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add celery and rosemary; then generously season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.

2. In the same skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, breaking meat up with a fork, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer sausage to onion–celery mixture. Add corn bread, parsley, and madeira, adjust seasonings, and mix well.

3. Spoon warm stuffing into turkey, truss, and bake. Or transfer stuffing to a buttered baking pan and bake until hot and golden on top, 30–45 minutes.