Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C, 170C fan. Tear the bread into small chunks and spread out into a single layer on a baking tray. Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until slightly dried out. Remove from the oven and put to one side to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat the garlic infused oil in a medium pan and when glossy, add in the fennel seeds. Cook for a minute, then add in the leek tops, stirring often, until they start to soften - about 5 minutes. Add a splash of white wine vinegar to the pan to deglaze it and scrape up any golden bits that might have gotten stuck. Cook for a further minute then turn off the heat. Stir through the clementine zest and a generous amount of seasoning. Spoon into a large bowl and let cool.
- When cool, add the dried cranberries and sausages to the bowl, cutting the casings and squeezing out the meat. Add in the bread and with clean hands, mix together until combined.
- In a separate bowl or mug, whisk together the stock, egg and 250ml of water. Add three quarters to the stuffing mix, continuing to mix with your hands until combined. Add a little more if you think you need to – you want the bread to be hydrated and the mix to be wet but not soggy.
- Rub the inside of a medium baking dish (roughly 20cm x 20cm) with half the butter. Transfer the stuffing into the dish and gently flatten it down, topping with a few more pieces of butter.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden, piping hot and cooked through, adding the reserved sage leaves to the top, along with a drizzle of olive, for the last 5 minutes of cooking. If the top starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Let stand for 5 minutes, before serving right away.
