Baked Apples with Sausage Stuffing

Throw off that down comforter and feast on these sage-scented baked apples for a warm breakfast on a cool morning (or enjoy any time of day). The sausage stuffing adds an extra bit of savory protein. This is a great recipe for peak apple season in September and October, when apples will have the most flavor packed into each juicy bite.

Tips for Making Baked Apples

You want to pick the right variety of apple for baking. Some of the best “baking apples” are Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin. This is because these apples will get firm and tender without turning to mush when you bake them. Make sure you have an apple corer or a melon baller on hand to core the apples, because you don’t want to cook the core.

Baked Apples with Sausage Stuffing Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups apple cider
• 6 large, well-shaped baking apples, such as Rome Beauty
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 heaping cup chopped onions
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• ½ teaspoons crumbled dried sage
• ½ lb raw full-flavored sausage, preferably a smoky or sage-scented variety, crumbled or chopped
• Fresh sage sprigs, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter a cast-iron skillet or deep baking dish large enough to hold the apples upright with up to an inch between them.
3. Pour the cider into a saucepan and reduce it by half over high heat.
4. While the cider cooks, scoop out the apple cores, leaving the bottoms intact. I find that the small end of a melon baller works better for this than apple-coring gadgets. Scoop a hole in each just a bit bigger than necessary to remove the core. Slice a thin ribbon of peel from around the top of each apple cavity, which helps keep the peel from splitting while baking. Slice off all fruit remaining on the cores and chop it.
5. Warm the butter in another skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the chopped apple pieces, onion, currants, sage, and sausage. Cook until the sausage is brown and, in a few spots, crispy. Remove from the heat and cool briefly.
6. Pack equal portions of the mixture into each apple cavity, mounding it over the top a bit. Arrange the apples in the prepared skillet. Pour the reduced apple cider over and around the apples. Cover the apples and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for about 15 minutes longer, until the apples can be pierced easily with a knife tip but still hold their shape.
7. Arrange the apples in a small bowls, pouring the pan juices over them. Serve warm, garnished with sage sprigs, if you wish.

Recipe by Cheryl Alters Jamison / Styling by Keith Recker and Julia Platt Leonard / Photography by Tira Howard 

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