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:

1. 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.
2. Reduce oven to 375°F. Butter an 8x12 or 9x13 baking dish & set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Stir in slightly cooled pork mixture until combined. Gently fold in toasted bread cubes.
6. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. 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)