Chorizo Dressing With Leeks

By Sam Sifton

Published November 7, 2017

  • Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
4(301)
Comments
Read comments

The better the bread you use here (a thick-crusted country loaf, sliced and toasted quite dry in the oven works well), the better the end result. It acts as a kind of canvas for the sweetness of the leeks and the dry, fragrant heat of the chorizo. You can make it well in advance of serving it alongside turkey, chicken or pork, at least as long as you leave time to reheat it in the oven, covered, with a few splashes of stock to moisten it. Just pull off the foil for the last few minutes to allow the top to crisp.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 10 servings

  • 5 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • 1 (1 ½-pound) loaf crusty bread, halved and sliced into thumb-thick slices

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned and sliced into ¼-inch half-moons (approximately 3 cups)

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 6 ounces dry (cured) chorizo, skin removed, quartered lengthwise and chopped

  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon sweet (dulce) smoked paprika

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

  • 3 to 4 cups chicken or turkey stock, divided

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)

40 grams carbs; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 375 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 582 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter one or two large sheet pans. Spread the bread pieces out on the pan or pans. Bake in the oven, tossing occasionally, until well toasted, about 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans and turning the bread about halfway through. Remove sheet pans and allow to cool.

  2. Step 2

    Place a large skillet over medium heat and swirl the olive oil into it. When it shimmers, add leeks, salt, black pepper and red pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks have softened, about 10 to 15 minutes. (If the leeks begin to stick to the pan, you can add a couple tablespoons of water here to prevent them from burning.) Add chorizo and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and begins to redden the leeks, an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Add vinegar to the pan to deglaze it, cook for a minute or so, then dump mixture into a large bowl.

  3. Step 3

    Add smoked paprika and oregano, mix well, then tear and crumble the toasts into bite-sized pieces, add them to the bowl and stir to combine. Add turkey or chicken stock, a cup at a time, mixing as you go, until the dressing is moist but not entirely wet. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter, drizzle it over the bread mixture, and gently fold to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer the dressing to a well-buttered 9-by-13-inch baking pan and bake in the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until crusty on top and at the edges. Add a little more turkey stock as needed to keep it from drying out.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
301 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Dee

Asking other cooks: do you think this would freeze well? So that perhaps I could make it this week, then cook it on T'giving? Thanks.

Karen

Wonderful, made this along with the entire Thanksgiving in 8 hours for fun and an early celebration with friends. Everything was excellent made exactly per each recipe. Entire meal was a hit. With 2 people and a good deal of "day before prep," we were ready the day of in 5 hours. Thank you for the interesting variations on a traditional meal.

Harry

Oh yes, the bread! I get a couple of loaves of sour batard with a robust crust, slice them up, put the slices on a big cookie sheet, and toast them in the oven When they a super dry, crush them with a heavy metal pan or bacon press into stuffing-size pieces. You can do the crushing in your roasting pan -- that's where i mix in the other dressing ingredients anyway.

JBoo

I made the leek and chorizo mixture, up through the beginning of step 3, adding the spices but not the bread, a week or so before thanksgiving. I froze it for a few days to keep it fresh, then thawed it in the fridge to complete everything but the final baking on the day before thanksgiving. On the day I popped it into the oven to bake and it turned out great!

martym

Crusty sourdough bread worked great here. More leeks are needed and I also added mushrooms to the leeks and chorizo. Used turkey stock.

CT Cook

Used chorizo slices from deli, a super crusty sourdough bread and EVOO to be dairy free. 10 minutes for toasting was too much for the crust, which got way too crusty. The smoked paprika was just too much smoky flavor. I’d use sweet paprika and let the chorizo shine on its own. The leeks were undetectable in taste. My other error was too much olive oil. With the fatty chorizo, the finished product left a greasy coating in my mouth.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.