Sweet chestnuts give this stuffing a soft, nutty richness, balanced by crisp apple and plenty of sage. Cooking the chestnuts in stock keeps them moist, while the dried bread absorbs their cooking liquor and develops a crisp top in the oven. Serve with roast squash or a nut roast.
Serves 8
- 400g stale bread, cut into 2cm cubes
- 20 large sweet chestnuts (about 300g peeled)
- 500ml vegetable stock, homemade if possible
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- 115g unsalted butter
- 2 large onions, diced
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 4 crisp eating apples (Cox or Braeburn), cut into 1cm dice
- Sea salt and black pepper
Cube the bread the day before and leave it out uncovered to dry hard.
Score a cross into each chestnut and boil for 10 minutes. Peel while still hot, pulling away both the shell and the papery inner skin, then slice thinly. Simmer the chestnuts in the stock until soft and sweet, about 30 minutes. Taste one. If it needs more sweetness, add a pinch of sugar to the stock.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide pan and soften the onions and sage with a little salt and pepper until translucent. Stir in the apples and warm them through without letting them cook. They’ll finish in the oven.
Toss the bread with the onion mixture. Pour over the chestnuts and every drop of their stock, and mix lightly until absorbed. Taste and season, going easy on the salt if your bread is already salty. Pile into a buttered ovenproof dish and bake at 180°C (fan) for 30 minutes under foil, then uncover and give it another 15 minutes until crisp on top.
Can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge until baking. Good alongside a nut roast or roast squash.
You might also enjoy