Brown Bread Stuffing with Chestnuts, Apples, and Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon celery seed 
• 2 medium celery stalks 
• 1 cup honey steamed coarsely chopped
• 0.3 cup butter unsalted plus more for coating the baking dish ()
• 2 medium apples i use 2 granny smith apples cored peeled
• 1 pound ground sausage sweet italian
• 1 cup chicken broth low-sodium
• 1 tablespoon flat parsley italian finely chopped
• 6 slices pumpernickel bread dark ()
• 0.3 cup sage fresh
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves finely chopped
• 6 slices bread ()
• 1 medium onion yellow

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• mixing bowl
• baking pan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with duck fat or butter.
2. Place the diced bread in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Place a large frying pan over medium heat.
4. Add the duck fat or butter and crumble in the sausage. Cook until the sausage is lightly browned, stirring to break it up.
5. Add the onion and sage and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the thyme, parsley, celery, celery seed (if using), apples, and chestnuts and cook until the apples are golden, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
8. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the diced bread, tossing well to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper.Spoon the stuffing into the prepared dish and bake for 30 minutes.