In the Kitchen: Stuffing

Dionne Warwick sang that what the world needs now is love, sweet love. However, I’m inclined to believe that she meant stuffing, savory stuffing. And no, not just for some but for everyone as there is, clearly, just too little of it happening at mealtime across the nation.

What is this mega-nonsense of eating what is probably one of the best dishes in creation only once a year? There’s nothing special about that— that’s just masochism.

Whether you call this Turkey Day treat stuffing, dressing, filling, or—my preferred term of endearment—“hand me that bowl and leave me alone with it,” one thing we can all agree on is it deserves its rightful place on the table.

Northerners often toss in local finds like chestnuts; Bostonians are famous for their oyster- based stuffings. Some people use breadcrumbs, some use cornbread, and many around the country have gone gluten-free with rice-based recipes. Smother it with gravy, mix it with your mashed potatoes, let it shine on its own—all of these details are irrelevant. The main thing to accomplish on Thanksgiving is to eat stuffing. A lot of stuffing. Gorge yourself upon it as it will most likely be a whole year before you are able to gobble it down again.

We’ve compiled a few different recipes from some of our favorite chefs in town, each of whom has taken a unique approach to this stupendous side dish. From pine nuts to fennel to white cheddar, you’ll find that, when it comes to stuffing, the sky’s the limit. Because that’s how high you should pile it on your plate. Move over, turkey, these chefs are showing us why stuffing is the real star.