Roasted Chestnut & Herb Dressing

November 7, 2023

I grew up considering Stove Top Stuffing a non-negotiable element of our Thanksgiving dinner plans and to be honest, I still like it. Now just because you like something, doesn’t mean that you won’t love something better once you are introduced to it and today, I would love to introduce you to an elevated version of a holiday classic…

This dressing combines big pieces of crusty bread with tender roasted chestnuts, sautéd vegetables, fresh herbs and a creamy custard to create a moist, flavorful dressing that bakes to perfection beside your holiday turkey. No stuffing skills required.

Let’s get started…

Let’s start with the bread. You can really use any kind of bread in this dressing and some of the texture will be decided on what kind of bread you choose. I am using ciabatta, because I prefer a little more texture in my dressing. You could also use a baguette, focaccia or any crusty rustic loaf you can find at your local bakery.

If you love a softer dressing then I would go with Italian or French bread, something a little softer.

You will need about a pound of bread cut into 1 inch cubes. Avoid using sliced bread, because the pieces will be so small that they may become mushy as your dressing bakes.

Spread the cubed bread over a large baking sheet and bake it for about 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven to dry it out. You don’t want the bread hard or golden brown, just dry and a little stiff feeling to the touch. This will help the bread soak up the custard as it bakes.

While the bread is drying out in the oven, dice up a large yellow onion and 2 large ribs of celery. Mince 2 cloves of garlic and finely chop some fresh parsley, sage and rosemary. Quarter 5 ounces of roasted chestnuts and gather 2 cups of broth (chicken, turkey or vegetable), 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of butter and some salt and black pepper.

Place a large skillet over medium heat. I like to use the same skillet to prepare the dressing and bake it in, but you can also prep everything in a skillet and transfer it into a baking dish if you prefer.

Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet and as soon as it has melted, add the minced garlic, diced yellow onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes.

Once the vegetables have started to soften a bit, add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 cups of broth into the skillet and as soon as everything begins to simmer, transfer the skillet off of the heat.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream with 2 large eggs.

Add the dried bread along with the quartered chestnuts, 1/4 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh sage and a tablespoon of very finely chopped fresh rosemary.

Carefully pour the stock and vegetables over everything and add a generous pinch of salt and black pepper.

Gently mix until everything is evenly distributed, being careful not to tear the bread apart too much.

Once everything is combined, transfer it into a greased baking dish.

Like I mentioned earlier, I love using the same skillet for everything when I am making stuffing. I am using Victoria Cookware’s 12 inch Signature cast iron skillet that is oven safe and also pretty enough to set directly on my holiday table. Minimal clean up is always a good idea.

Make sure to scrape every bit of the custard and vegetables out of the bowl and spread the dressing evenly throughout your baking dish. If you see any dry pieces of bread, be sure to press them into the custard a bit, so they don’t dry out as they bake.

Note: If you see any chestnuts sitting on top of the dressing, press them down into the mix a bit. They can get a little tough as the bake if they are not nestled in the custard.

Bake the dressing uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and the center feels mostly set. I like to give the dish a little shake and if the center of the dressing doesn’t wobble, we are good to pull it out of the oven.

I like my dressing a little more on the custardy side, so I pull it out of the oven as soon as it could be considered lightly set, but if you prefer your dressing a little more dried or fully set then keep it in until it no longer wobbles.

Whether you baked this roasted chestnut & herb dressing to go with Sunday dinner or to be a part of your holiday spread, you are going to love what it adds to every plate.

Using larger cubes of crusty bread helps to maintain great texture in certain parts of the dressing, while other areas are soaked in a veggie filled custard. If you scoop just right, you can have a bit of both!

Chestnuts used to be a popular addition to dressings in the past, but their popularity has fallen off a little in modern American cooking. Chestnuts are still quite popular in Asian countries though and while we were living in Japan, we could find chestnut cookies, chestnut soup, chestnut flavored Kit Kat’s and even chestnut ice cream. They are not fabulous when raw, but they take on a buttery and subtly sweet flavor when roasted, which is the perfect addition to this dressing.

If you are looking for a scratch made dressing that will add a homey, comforting element to your dinner table then I would love for you to give this roasted chestnut and herb dressing a try.

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