apple and sausage stuffing recipe

Made this recipe for the family: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Apple-and-Sausage-Stuffing-107288 (go to the link to get a nicely printable version). It was a big hit.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound spicy pork bulk sausage
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced peeled cored apple
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 1 bay leaf

• 8 cups 1-inch cubes French bread with crusts (from 1-pound loaf)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through and brown, breaking into pieces with spoon, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Add celery and next 6 ingredients to drippings in skillet. Sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Add mixture to sausage. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Reheat to lukewarm before continuing.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add bread to sausage mixture. Whisk milk, broth, and butter in bowl to blend. Mix into stuffing; season stuffing with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs; transfer to prepared dish. Bake uncovered until cooked through and brown, about 50 minutes.

Details:

• doubled recipe
• used granny smith apples.
• didn't find any good fresh parsley, so left it out
• added some ground thyme
• used 2% instead of whole milk
• substituted apple juice for half the broth
• used Johnsonville bulk mild italian sausage (for this crowd, that was teetering on the edge of too spicy for some)

Next time:

• Double the apples. There wasn't a ton of apple flavor, despite following the proportions in the recipe and adding apple juice.