Make America Wisconsin Again (one side dish at a time)

We weren’t surprised when Charlie announced that he’d like to make a Wisconsin-themed stuffing for Thanksgiving this year.

A happy resident of the Wisconsin Embassy (no matter what the Facebook metrics may say), Charlie wears his home state pride with unabashed enthusiasm. Among his fellow Mahattanites, he is easy to spot thanks to his #wisconsincasual style (light green zip up hoodie over cargo pants) and 6-5 frame.

Still, when he added his ingredients to our Thanksgiving spreadsheet (a Laura oxymoron that exists only because she gave birth to a hyper-organized daughter), we were all a little skeptical.

Beer? Brats?

“Mom, it’s Wisconsin stuffing,” he said. “Ya know?”

I didn’t know. But, because the things that spring from the beer foam of Charlie’s imagination can be wild and wonderful, we all agreed to give it a whirl.

Was it tasty?

Cripes sake, you betcha!

So, here ya go. A simple stuffing with a lofty name. Try some. You better believe it’s real good, hey!

Make America Wisconsin Again Stuffing Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

-1 pack of fresh Wisconsin bratwurst

-1 stick of Wisconsin butter

-One can of Wisconsin beer

-Two Loaves french bread (ideally baked in Wisconsin, but definitely cut into 3/4 inch cubes)

-1 large onion diced

-6 celery stalks diced

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-Quarter cup fresh sage diced

-2 cups chicken broth

-3 eggs

-salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

-Dry out bread cubes, I did this the night before in an oven set at 250 for 30 minutes and then kept them in a paper bag overnight

-Remove bratwurst from casing, crumble and fry in frying pan

-Removed cooked meat from pan, add butter, garlic, onion and celery

-When vegetables are translucent, return sausage to pan and pour in can of beer, turn down heat as needed but let beer simmer

-While that’s simmering, beat eggs in a bowl, add chicken broth, sage, salt and pepper

-Mix egg mixture and vegetable mixture together and fold in bread cubes

-Put stuffing mixture in crockpot to keep oven space free. You can do it on low for like 6 hours or I did on high for 3 hours.

-If you like crispy bits of stuffing (like I do), 30 minutes before dinner, move the stuffing into a large pan and put uncovered in the oven at 350 degrees until it’s time to eat