Sausage, Apple, & Pecan Stuffing

INGREDIENTS
16 oz loaf French Bread (or bread of choice) - torn into bite sized chunks
8 tbsp butter, divided
1 lb ground Sage Sausage
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted preferably (bake at 350 for 5-7 min.)
2 Golden Delicious Apples, cored, peeled, and diced
1 Onion, diced
2 Celery Stalks, diced finely
1 tsp Kosher Salt (or to taste)
1 Tbsp to 2 Tbsp of Poultry Seasoning (to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley
3 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Eggs, beaten


DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place the bread pieces in a single layer on a pan and bake until the bread is dry and hard, and no longer soft - be careful not to overcook.  I find it usually takes about 10 minutes, but it will depend on the freshness of your bread.

2.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish with butter and set aside.

3.  In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp of the butter and then cook the sausage - breaking it up as you go - until it is just barely done and no longer pink.

4.  Take the bread out of the oven and put into a large bowl.  Pour the sausage and all its drippings over the bread and then stir to evenly disperse.  Next stir in the toasted pecan pieces evenly in with the bread pieces.  Set aside.

5.  In the now empty large skillet (don't clean it!), melt 4 tbsp of butter over medium high heat.  Add in the onions, celery, and apples and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until they have softened.  Stir in the salt, poultry seasoning, and parsley.

6.  Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring consistently.  Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and carefully pour the entire skillet contents into the bowl that has the bread & sausage.  Stir well until everything has integrated evenly.  Do a taste test - and add more salt or poultry seasoning if needed!

7.  Once you've done a taste test and made sure it tastes how you want it, pour in the beaten eggs into the bread mixture and stir until it's evenly combined with the rest of the ingredients.  Now spoon the entire contents into the greased casserole dish.

8.  Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.  In a small bowl, melt 2 tbsp of butter, and evenly drizzle the butter over the top of the stuffing and bake for 10 more minutes, or until the top gets crispy.

9.  Serve warm and enjoy :)