Stuffing

There are few places where chestnuts are cooked with more style and appreciation than in those states just below New England. Here they are added to a traditional stuffing, enhanced by mushrooms and herbs.

Not your typical corn bread dressing, this one from Michael McLaughlin features smoky ham and sautéed fennel.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 hr

The Mexican sausage called chorizo teams up with other southwestern ingredients-including corn bread, an Anaheim chili, cilantro and oregano-for a delicious stuffing.

Mary Risley, the director of Tante Marie's Cooking School, says, "I come from a family of Connecticut Yankees, and when I was growing up, I spent every Thanksgiving at my grandparents' eighteenth-century home, which was right across from a turkey farm. I’m not quite sure how, but something in that experience inspired this recipe. (Maybe the ingredients reflect what a turkey would like to eat, if asked.)"

San Francisco is famous for its sourdough, and a wide variety of apples are grown in Sonoma. In this sensational dressing, both ingredients are combined with almonds, which are harvested throughout the state. If you are roasting a turkey in a 350°F oven, cook the stuffing alongside, covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Italian flavors accent this innovative stuffing. We suggest making it with the Roast Turkey with Red Currant Jelly and Citrus Glaze; reserve the fennel stalks and fronds for use in the stock that's needed for the gravy.

Dried pears lend a subtle sweetness to the deep, earthy taste of this stuffing.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 3 3/4 hr

A favorite trick is to stuff the body cavity of the bird with bread stuffing and the neck cavity with the following very highly seasoned sausage meat stuffing.

Because they were so abundant, oysters were used as a filler and for flavor in a variety of Colonial New England dishes. They are still the star of traditional stuffings in the region.

What northerners call stuffing, southerners call dressing. Oysters and eggplant are a classic Louisiana combination, and the bite of cayenne adds to the authenticity. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

The only way to improve our very best stuffing recipe? Add breakfast sausage.

Ten years in, this classic stuffing recipe (or dressing, if you prefer) remains one of our favorite Thanksgiving sides.

Free up space in your oven on Thanksgiving for other heavy hitters by assembling and baking this stuffing the day before.

Everything you want from a Thanksgiving stuffing, with just enough heat to keep you coming back for more.