Apple and Bacon Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon (6 strips), chopped
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups cubed French bread, air-dried
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tart baking apples such as Braeburn or Granny Smith, cored and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; coat inside of a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
2. Fry bacon in a large saute pan over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; pour off drippings.
3. Whisk together broth, milk, eggs, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.  Add bread; let stand 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
4. In the same pan used to fry the bacon, saute celery and onion with butter over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic; saute 1 minute.  Add apples, parsley, and sage; saute 1 minute more.  
5. Add bacon and sauteed mixture to bread; toss to combine.  Transfer stuffing to the prepared dish; bake until set and browned on top, about 1 hour.

Yield: 8 servings

*recipe from Cuisine at Home magazine; December 2009