Thanksgiving has a reputation for endless brining methods, divisive side dishes, and argumentative relatives. It’s no wonder hosting can be stressful. Unless you’ve got The Right Stuffing, that is. This series is devoted to all things related to the Thanksgiving meal, and it will help you create dishes that appear on your table year after year—even if it can’t help you manage your relatives.
Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without stuffing (or dressing). It’s a humble, somewhat silly dish. You dry out some bread, make it wet again, then dry it out one more time, but the result is undeniably delicious—assuming the broth you used is, itself, delicious. For the best stuffing, you should focus on the stock.
While you can jazz up stuffing and dressing with sausage, oysters, and all sorts of alliums, stock is the only ingredient that permeates the entire dish. If your stock is bland, your stuffing (or dressing) is going to be bland. Luckily, it is not hard to make flavorful stock, even if you start with a can of store-bought stuff.
How to maximize flavor in your homemade stock
One of the easiest ways to boost the flavor in your homemade stock is to roast the bones to develop lots of deep, browned flavor. It’s rare that one has a whole turkey carcass to work with pre-turkey day, but you can use the neck and backbone (provided you spatchcock), and supplement with a bunch of turkey wings, which you should be able to pick up at the meat counter.
You can also make a silky stock entirely out of roasted turkey wings; they are packed with collagen. Roast your vegetables too—the more browning you develop, the more flavorful your stock will be. I rarely measure when I make stock, but three pounds of wings, along with two carrots, two onions, two stalks of celery, and a whole head of garlic cloves will work wonderfully. Toss the wings and vegetables with a little oil, season them with salt, and roast in a 450-degree oven until everyone is a deep, golden brown. (Remove the vegetables before the wings if they start to burn.) Transfer all of it to a stock pot.
Next, you’ll want to add more salt, at least a teaspoon (but adjust to taste), and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, to help draw out the collagen. I also like to add a teaspoon of peppercorns, instead of ground pepper, so I can strain the pepper out at the end. You’ll also want to make a little bouquet garni with a small handful of fresh parsley, five or so fresh sage leaves, several sprigs fresh thyme, and a single bay leaf. You can even get some marjoram involved, if you are so inclined. Tie the herbs together with a piece of twine, and chuck it in the pot. If you want to add some creamy, lactic-forward umami, chuck in a parmesan rind; if you want to add earthy depth, toss in a few dried mushrooms. You can also add a pinch or two MSG for a pure hit of savoriness.
Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered for about half an hour. Add more water if needed to keep the vegetables covered, then replace the lid and simmer for an hour. Taste, adjust seasoning if needed, and simmer for another hour, if you think it needs it. Remove from the heat, let cool for at least half an hour, then strain through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth, or a nut milk bag. Chill in the fridge until the fat solidifies, then remove the congealed fat off the top.
How to soup up your store-bought stock
If you simply do not have time for roasting and hours of simmering, there are several shortcuts you can take. There is, for instance, no law against adding any of the above to a few cartons of “outsourced” stock or broth. Vegetables, garlic, parm rinds, dried mushrooms, and MSG are all very much at your disposal, even if you’re skipping the turkey parts.
You can also take advantage of a little paste know as “Better Than Bouillon,” which comes in a variety of flavors, including “turkey.” Some call it “cheating;” I call it “better living through science.” It’s concentrated and flavor-packed, and there is no shame in adding it to your arsenal.
There’s also no shame in adding a few bones to your store-bought stock, especially if it’s lacking in the collagen department. A few turkey wings—or even chicken wings—will take care of that. Just dump them in there and simmer for an hour. Strain as described above, and get ready to moisten some bread.