View source for Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing

Name: Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing
Prep time: 1 h 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 100g dried cranberries; 50ml ruby port; 1 small onion, peeled and chopped; 2 rashers bacon , chopped (rind removed and discarded); 50g butter; 3 Cloves garlic, peeled and chopped; 450g sausagemeat; 140g dried breadcrumbs *see Chefs notes; 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped; ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped; 140g cooked chestnuts (about 200g / 20 raw chestnuts to allow for peeling and waste), peeled and chopped; To bind; 1 egg, beaten
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|title=Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing, a British recipe
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing British recipe
|description=This stuffing recipe is fairly involved, but worth making for special occasions such as Christmas dinner
}}

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{{recipesummary
|DatePublished=17th January 2013
|Author=Chef
|ImageComment = 
 |Servings = Makes 20 [[Stuffing|stuffing]] balls
 |Difficulty = 3
 |TotalTime =  2 hours 30 minutes
 |PrepTime = 1 hour 45 minutes
 |CookTime = 45 minutes
 |Image = [[Image:Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing.jpg|300px|alt=Electus]]
}}
[[Image:Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing recipe.jpg|thumb|300px|right|[[Bacon]], [[Chestnut|chestnut]] and [[Cranberry|cranberry]] stuffing balls, ready to [[bake]] or [[freeze]]]]
[[Image:Bacon, chestnut and cranberry stuffing ingredients.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The ingredients for [[Bacon]], [[Chestnut|chestnut]] and [[Cranberry|cranberry]] [[Stuffing|stuffing]]]]
</div>
This [[Stuffing|stuffing]] recipe is fairly involved, but worth making for special occasions such as Christmas dinner.

Don't use this to stuff the [[Turkey|turkey]], but serve as an [[Accompaniment|accompaniment]], either as balls or [[Baked|baked]] in one tray.

{{RecipeIngredients
| 100g [[Dried cranberries|dried cranberries]] 
| 50ml ruby [[Port|port]] 
| 1 small [[Onion|onion]], peeled and chopped 
| 2 rashers [[Bacon|bacon]] , chopped (rind removed and discarded)
| 50g [[Butter|butter]] 
| 3 Cloves [[Garlic|garlic]], peeled and chopped
| 450g [[sausagemeat]] 
| 140g dried [[Breadcrumbs|breadcrumbs]] *''see Chef's notes''
| I eventually used breadcrumbs from 3 fresh bread rolls, more than 140g, but that was the weight fresh, not dried.
| 2 tablespoons fresh [[Parsley|parsley]], chopped 
| &frac12; teaspoon fresh [[Thyme leaves|thyme leaves]], chopped 
| 140g cooked [[Chestnuts|chestnuts]] (about 200g / 20 raw chestnuts to allow for peeling and waste), peeled and chopped - don't forget to peel and pick out all of the bitter brown skin.
}}
''' To bind'''
{{RecipeIngredientsNB
| 1 [[Egg|egg]], beaten

}}

===[[Mise en place]]===
* Chop the [[cranberries]] and soak in the [[Port|port]] for at least 1 hour
* Preheat the [[Oven|oven]] to 190° C (375° F - gas 5), [fan oven 170° C & reduce cooking time by 10 mins per hour]
===Method===

{{RecipeMethod
| Gently [[Fry|fry]] the [[Onion|onion]] [[Garlic|garlic]] and [[Bacon|bacon]] in the [[Butter|butter]] for about 6 to 8 minutes.
| Allow to cool, then using your (clean) hands mix with the remaining ingredients.
| Once well mixed, add the [[Egg|egg]] and mix in well.  This helps the [[Stuffing|stuffing]] to bind together properly.
}}
* either:
{{RecipeMethod
| Roll into 20 balls and [[Bake|bake]] alongside your [[Roast|roast]] - make them even nicer by rolling in melted [[Butter|butter]] first.
| 35 minutes is all they need when cooked as balls.
}}
* or:
{{RecipeMethod
| [[Butter]] a small [[Oven|oven]] dish and pack the [[Stuffing|stuffing]] into the dish (about 5cm thick)
| 40 to 45 minutes should be enough when coked in a tray
}}
===Serving suggestions===
These also make nice nibbles served cold!
===Chef's notes===
Make them before the event and [[Freeze|freeze]] them (uncooked).

Defrost properly on the day you want to use them.

'''[[Breadcrumbs|Breadcrumbs]]:''' If you have a [[food-processor]] you can make fresh [[breadcrumbs]] really quickly.  Just tear up a few slices of good quality fresh bread, place in a [[food processor]] with a metal blade and pulse a few times until they look right.  I find that fresh bread is far better than stale bread for this.

'''[[Roasting chestnuts|Roasting the chestnuts]]''': Cut a slit in the [[Chestnuts|chestnuts]] so they don't pop and [[Grill|grill]] for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning now and then. Allow to cool then peel and chop.
===Variations===
'''[[Port]]:''' If you don't have port to hand, use a combination of [[sherry]], [[wine]] or even a dash of [[rum]] or [[brandy]].

Use a mixture of [[dried fruit]] with the [[cranberries]] - finely chopped [[apricots]] work well.
{{RecipeLine}}
[[Category:Recipes]]
[[Category:British recipes]]
[[Category:Accompaniments]]
[[Category:Poultry recipes]]
[[Category:Baked or roasted]]