All Roads Lead to the Kitchen: cornbread stuffing

Bacon Cornbread Stuffing #Thanksgiving #bacon

Over the past few years, I've tried quite a few different stuffing recipes. Another thing about the past few years that I've noticed? A lot of stuffing has gone uneaten. By anyone other than me. So, as much as I love trying out different flavor combos and add-ins, do you know what I love even more? When every single person at the table gobbles (pun intended) up their helping of stuffing. Maybe they even coo over it a little. That is exactly what happened when this cornbread stuffing made its appearance on our Thanksgiving table this year.

I decided that instead of combing through my many years of magazine pages with frayed edges and recipes jotted down on notebook paper and bookmarks on my computer, I'd just ask for suggestions. The number one request was for cornbread stuffing. Without any "funny stuff" in it. Or stuff that tastes weird. I can do that.

I was torn between sausage and bacon, but in the end, bacon won. Doesn't it always? This is one that I'm guessing will be requested every year. It's simple. But the smoky, salty bacon...the sweet, caramelized onions...and the fresh green herbs accent the almost nutty flavor of the cornbread so perfectly that I wouldn't have it any other way.

I always have tons of plans to make this dish or that dish with our Thanksgiving leftovers. In my mind there are a few days worth of meals. In reality, people get grouchy if I "take away" too much of their sandwich turkey. And I get it. I think that my favorite thing to do with leftover turkey is to pile it on white bread and sprinkle it with salt. No more. No less. Turkey, salt, bread - thank you very much.

That said, I have a whole 'nother turkey or two's worth of things that I dream of one day doing with that leftover turkey. The other leftovers go fairly fast as simple re-heats, as well...but it's always the turkey that disappears first. So I set aside enough to make two "leftover" dishes with this year. The first of which was this one.

This past Sunday, the #SundaySupper gang brought you a long list of turkey day leftover options. I bookmarked and pinned a bunch. But when I laid eyes on one by Brianne of Cupcakes & Kale Chips, it immediately ingrained itself on the top of the list in my head. A dish that just HAD to be made. And I'm here to tell you - so happy that I did!

I stuck to her basic method...just tweaked a teensy bit. I left out the cheese. What!? I know. Weird for a cheeseslut to do such a thing, but I did. I used this cranberry sauce. I haven't yet blogged about the turkey or the stuffing I used...but let me tell you that cornbread stuffing WITH bacon (like I made this year) is THE PERFECT thing to top this stuffed potato off. Those little smoky bits of bacon are the perfect compliment.

So, if you've got some leftovers that you want to use up - you should totally give this a go. And heck, I think pulled pork in place of turkey would be a fabulous option, as well. Thanks so much for this inspiration, Brianne!

Cranberry-Barbecue Turkey stuffed Sweet Potatoes

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45-60 minutes

Keywords: roast entree sweet potatoes turkey cranberries Thanksgiving American fall

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 sweet potatoes
melted butter or olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. leftover cranberry sauce
¼ c. barbecue sauce
1 c. leftover cooked turkey, shredded or chopped
¼ c. leftover cornbread stuffing

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Poke sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Lightly rub sweet potatoes with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and slide into preheated oven; bake for ~45 minutes, or until cooked through.

In the meantime, combine the cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for a minute or two, just to combine the flavors and textures of the two sauces. Stir the turkey into the sauce and let bubble for a couple more minutes to heat the turkey through.

Slice the potatoes lengthwise, leaving ~½" on the bottom uncut. Set them back on the baking sheet or in a baking dish and spread them open; rake your fork through the insides and mash it up a bit . Divide the turkey mixture evenly among the potatoes and then top with the stuffing. Slide back into oven for 5 minutes or so, just to heat the stuffing through and get a little color on it.

Enjoy!

adapted from Cupcakes & Kale Chips