Christmas

Leek and Sage Stuffing

Add these leek and sage stuffing balls to your Christmas dinner, or your roasts for a crispy addition. Perfect for soaking up gravy.

I don’t think it’s possible to have Christmas dinner without stuffing. It’s essential for that little crunch and works perfectly at soaking up your gravy. In the past we’ve always used the pre packet mix of stuffing, and that was the easiest way to do it whilst I was at university. Though they were great, they never quite did it for me, I felt like the stuffing could be so much more. So I started working on my own version incorporating flavours that I like.

This keeps with traditional vegetarian stuffing, but packs some incredible flavour!

What you’ll need

Leek – this will provide the mild onion flavour, they also add some sweetness
Butter – this makes everything better
Fresh and dried sage – essential flavour, adds earthiness and a mild mint flavour. Works incredibly well and essential for these. After all they are leek and sage stuffing
Nutmeg – adds a very subtle warmth
Black and white sesame – adds nuttiness and texture. The crunch on these is amazing!
Crusty bread – adds to the crunch and texture, also helps with binding
Pecorino/hard cheese – helps with binding and adds a salty richness
Dijon mustard – adds some mild acidity which works really well

Tips

Keep your leek greens aside/freeze to use in stocks, they add a lot of flavour when simmered
Use a good crusty loaf, something like a wholemeal sourdough will work beautifully and add nuttiness
Toast your sesame seeds for maximum flavour
Make sure these bind together when forming the balls, if they don’t you’ll need to add a little more liquid to bind the leek and sage stuffing
Place these on a greased tray, this will allow the base to crisp up even more and to ensure these don’t stick

Leek and Sage Stuffing

dishbyrish

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Course Side Dish

Servings 20 stuffing

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 leek
1.5 tbsp butter
0.5 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
20 sage leaves roughly chopped
0.5 tbsp white sesame
0.5 tbsp black sesame
90 g crusty bread I used a small wholemeal sourdough loaf (around 3 slices of mine)
25 g hard cheese finely grated. I used a vegetarian pecorino
0.5 tbsp dijon mustard mixed with 3tbsp water

Instructions

Method:

Preheat oven to 180’C Fan
To prepare your leek, trim off the hard green at the end, wash thoroughly and these can be frozen to be used in stocks/soups. Finely slice the remaining part of the leek
Sauté leek in butter, along with the dried sage and nutmeg
As they start to soften, add your sage leaves, and season with a pinch of salt
In a separate pan, toast your sesame seeds on a low heat for around 5 mins
Blitz your bread through a food processor until breadcrumb consistency, then toast these in 1tbsp of olive oil until golden
Mix the breadcrumbs, sesame, and leek mixture in a bowl and allow to cool completely
Once cooled, add in the grated cheese and the mustard-water mix. Add in around half a tsp of salt, adjust to taste if required
Take 1tbsp of mix and and roll into a ball as per the video on my Instagram. Place on an oiled oven tray
Bake for 13-15mins or until golden, on the middle rack. Allow to cool for several minutes before handling