Savory Stuffed Apples with Sausage, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese
Savory Stuffed Apples with Sausage, Sweet Potatoes and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
2 tablespoons milk
5 ounces goat cheese
2 ounces goat cheese
½ cup Italian panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons butter
1–2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 eggs
2 cups Italian panko or regular bread crumbs
Dash dried sage and thyme
Pepper and salt to taste
Pepper and salt to taste
¼ cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
3 ounces goat cheese (chèvre)
¼ cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
¼–½ cup coarsely chopped celery leaves, plus some for garnish
3–4 tablespoons real maple syrup
1–2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
2–3 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
5–6 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 medium Red Garnet sweet potato, finely chopped (approx. 2 cups)
1 pound (bulk) breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons oil
6 Fuji apples
Step by step
Cook sausage on medium heat in a medium cast iron skillet, drain, add chopped sweet potato, onion and herbs and cook for five minutes.
Carve out centers of apples, leaving about a quarter to half inch of flesh on the inside of the apples. Put apples in a muffin tin to keep them from tipping over. Finely chop the apple flesh and add it to the sausage and sweet potato mixture. Simmer covered on medium-low until the sweet potato is cooked, but not overcooked. After the sweet potato is softened, add the maple syrup, pine nuts, and celery leaves and let the leaves briefly wilt. Finally, remove the skillet from heat and fold or cut in two ounces of goat cheese.
Combine the bread crumbs and eggs separately, add to sausage mixture. If mixture still appears dry, add stock 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened.
Put a few crumbles of goat cheese in the bottom of each apple, then spoon in stuffing and pack down.
Bake covered for 30–35 minutes at 350 degrees.
While apples are baking, make bread crumb topping mixture by melting butter and mixing in crumbs. Add dried and chopped fresh herbs as needed.
Also make optional sauce with 5 ounces of goat cheese and 2 tablespoons of milk; melt the cheese with the milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Then remove from heat and cover.
After apples are done baking, uncover and top each apple with breadcrumb topping and a few crumbles of goat cheese. Broil for 4–5 minutes or until evenly browned.
Serve chopped in half, with celery leaves for garnish and optional sauce.