Makes Two 9x12 Casserole Dishes

1 loaf sourdough, roughly torn into 1” pieces  and allowed to air dry overnight on the counter, or if bread is fresh, then torn and toasted in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes until light crisp and golden brown to make croutons

2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter, plus ½ stick cut into cubes and reserved in refrigerator

6-8 medium leeks, stem removed, halved, and sliced in ¼” half moons before thoroughly cleaning and drying

2 yellow onions, minced

3 celery stalks, minced

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

¼ cup fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 cup whole roasted and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped

1-2 cups chicken broth

4 eggs, whisked

In a large sauce pan, melt two stick of butter over medium-high heat, then drop heat to medium and gently toast milk solids until butter smells warm and nutty and turns a rich golden brown. Add prepared leeks, onion and celery and stir into butter to coat, then return heat to medium-high and cook until vegetables are softened and beginning to turn translucent, 6-8 minutes. Add sage, thyme and garlic plus salt and pepper to taste, and stir to incorporate. Continue cooking another 2 minutes until chestnuts are nicely hydrated and heated through. Remove from heat and allow to cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add toasted bread croutons to a large mixing bowl. Once slightly cooled, pour leek mixture overtop along with 1 cup of chicken broth and stir to coat bread. Add more broth if needed – you want all bread moistened but not wet. Add in the eggs and stir to mix well.

Prepare 1 or 2 casserole dishes by greasing with a bit of butter – 1 if you prefer a deeper dish of stuffing with more custardy pieces, 2 if you want to maximized crisped top pieces with lots of crunch! Layer stuffing into the casserole dish(es) and cover with tin foil. At tjhis point, you can wrap well in plastic wrap and freeze up to a month before baking, or bake right away.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Place stuffing on middle rack and bake until hot, 30 minutes, then remove tin foil, dot with reserved cold butter cubes, and continue to bake until top is deeply golden brown and crisp, another 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy!