Description
Savory baked apples stuffed with browned sage sausage, onion, currants, and chopped apple, then baked in reduced apple cider until tender. A hearty fall breakfast, snack, or side dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups apple cider
- 6 large, well-shaped baking apples, such as Rome Beauty
- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the skillet
- 1 heaping cup chopped onions
- 2 tbsp dried currants
- 1/2 tsp crumbled dried sage
- 1/2 lb raw full-flavored sausage, preferably a smoky or sage-scented variety, crumbled or chopped
- Fresh sage sprigs, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Butter a cast-iron skillet or deep baking dish large enough to hold the apples upright with up to an inch between them.
- Pour the cider into a saucepan and reduce it by half over high heat.
- While the cider cooks, scoop out the apple cores, leaving the bottoms intact. The small end of a melon baller works better than an apple corer. Scoop a hole in each apple just a bit bigger than needed to remove the core. Slice a thin ribbon of peel from around the top of each cavity to keep the peel from splitting while baking. Slice off any fruit remaining on the cores and chop it.
- Warm the butter in another skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the chopped apple, onion, currants, sage, and sausage. Cook until the sausage is brown and crispy in a few spots. Remove from the heat and cool briefly.
- Pack equal portions of the mixture into each apple cavity, mounding it slightly over the top. Arrange the apples in the prepared skillet. Pour the reduced cider over and around the apples.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer, until the apples can be pierced easily with a knife tip but still hold their shape.
- Arrange the apples in small bowls and spoon the pan juices over them. Serve warm, garnished with sage sprigs, if you wish.
Notes
- Best apples for baking: Rome Beauty, Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin hold their shape in the oven.
- Make ahead: Cook the filling and reduce the cider up to 1 day ahead; refrigerate separately. Core and stuff the apples just before baking.
- Dairy-free: Replace the butter with olive oil or plant-based butter, and check the sausage label for milk-based binders.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers, covered, up to 3 days. Reheat at 350°F with a splash of cider.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed apple
- Calories: 380