From the earliest days of Slice, I've urged you pizza freaks to forgo the crusty, saucy, cheesy stuff on Thanksgiving in favor of gobbling the gobbler. But I know some of you are diehards, so here's a way to sneak our erstwhile favorite dish into the Turkey Day festivities: Garlic Knot and Sausage Stuffing. Yes, it's pizza-flavored stuffing for Thanksgiving.
My favorite stuffings have always included some sort of sausage in the mix, along with the necessary bread element and the usual seasonings. And last year, I think I found the stuffing to end all stuffings: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing. Why not riff on a great thing and see what happens?
Garlic knots from Best Pizza. [Photograph: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]
In place of regular white bread are garlic knots — a typical side item found at most NYC-area pizzerias. Knots are golf-ball-size snacks made from pizza dough that's, well, tied in knots and brushed with garlic-infused olive oil before being baked. They're usually six for a dollar or so. And, heck, at some pizzerias they're stale enough you could almost use them as-is for your stuffing. (OK, I'm foolin'. You're going to have to dry these out in the oven like you would the white bread in Kenji's original recipe.)
[Photographs: Adam Kuban (except where noted)]
The full list of substitutions:
- Garlic knots for white bread
- Hot Italian sausage in place of sage sausage
- Green bell pepper for celery
- Dried oregano for dried sage leaves
- Fresh basil in place of fresh parsley
My interpretation retains the onion and garlic of the original, which along with the green pepper and dried oregano give this sort of a classic, American, "supreme pizza" flavor profile. This stuffing tastes like what I like to call "pizza parlor pizza" but with the awesome moist, custard-like texture Kenji talks about in his post.
What started as a sort of gag or "stunt" post actually surprised me. This "pizza stuffing" actually does taste good and isn't just gimmicky. (And believe me, I know the difference between good and gimmick.)
Right this way for the recipe, ladies and gents »
That said, I take no responsibility for your safety should you foist this on unsuspecting and tradition-bound relatives. Happy Thanksgiving, Slice'rs and ...
Hasta la pizza!
About the author: Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice. Home Slice is his monthly pizza-at-home column. You can follow him as @akuban on Twitter.
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